Mana vs Teana
by ApprenticeMana
Summary: After breaking up, Atem and Mana vowed to remain the best of friends. Mana was sure that she was over him, until Teana steps into the picture. A new take on the fanfic 'Teana vs Mana.' AtemxMana, SetoxKisara
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: So if you've been following me for the past decade, you'd know I'm a huge Atem x Mana supporter. You'd also know that I did a Teana vs Mana story years ago as well. Consider this to be a revamp of that story. There will be certain aspects from the past story into this story, but consider it new. Hope you guys enjoy! And leave a review!**

The sun beams down on an open courtyard where two children play without a care in the world. They were enclosed by tall palace walls and statues of the gods they worshipped. Despite the burning hot weather of Cairo, Egypt, it didn't slow them down from their game of tag.

"You can't catch me!" a small girl with brown spiky hair yells back to the kid running behind her. Although small, she was very quick on her feet. Her white dress whooshes in the wind as she picks up the speed and her aquamarine eyes looked focused as she was determined to not be caught by her friend. She squeaks when she looks behind her to see the boy with spiky tri-colored hair not trailing too far behind her.

"I'm on your tail, Mana!" the boy yells. Unlike his friend, he was adorned with a lot more jewelry and a gold crown, symbolizing his royalty. He was the prince of Egypt and the next heir to the throne. His father, Aknamkanon is the ruler of Egypt, beloved by all, even his servants because he was a loyal, kind, yet serious ruler.

Mana comes across a tree in which their other friend is sitting down peacefully, reading a spell book. She reaches the tree and hops up a few times, trying to reach a branch for her to climb. "Mahad, help!" she whines to the older teen. Without hesitation and not removing his eyes from the book he is studying, he uses one hand to give her a boost so that she can climb the tree. She looks down as the prince looks up at her in defeat and she sticks her tongue out at him.

"No fair! You had help!" he yells before sending over a glare at Mahad. "Mahad, that's cheating!"

"I'm sorry my prince. It won't happen again," Mahad apologizes, still keeping his eyes on the book.

Mana maneuvers herself so that she is hanging upside down on the tree branch. "Why don't you come play with us, Mahad?"

"Yeah, you're always skipping out on us."

"My apologies. But my duty is to protect you my prince. I cannot do that if I don't brush up on my studies," Mahad explains.

The three of them were all very close friends. At one point, they would all play together. But with Mahad being a little bit older than then, he had to take on certain responsibilities, the main one being to protect the prince. He stands up, closing his book and turning to leave. "I really must go now. Please play nicely and don't get into any trouble."

The prince and Mana watches as their older friend leaves and Mana sighs heavily. "He never has time for us anymore. If that's what growing up is all about, then I don't wanna."

"Aw come on Mana. I'm sure it'll get better. He's got exams and training to see if he'll be qualified toto be a top magician. Maybe when that's over, we'll be back to playing again."

"Yeah, sure," she says with a pout and folding her arms. "But you'll never abandon me, right?"

"Of course not! You're my best friend!" he assures her, putting an arm around her shoulder. "And when I'm pharaoh, I'll make sure I dedicate time with you and Mahad."

Mana breaks away from his grasp, not looking really convinced. "I don't know, prince. Being pharaoh seems like a big deal. You promise you'll still have time for me?"

"I promise."

Mana suddenly whips out her pinky, looking at him intensely and he blinks a few times. "Uh…what are you doing?" he asks with a puzzled look.

"It's a pinky promise! A promise isn't sealed without the pinky!" she explains, still holding out her pinky. He slowly follows her lead as they lock pinkies and he looks into her eyes as she looks satisfied. "Now it's official."

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

A large crowd gathers outside the palace, chanting and cheering in anticipation of the new crowned pharaoh. Standing at the two large double doors stands a more mature prince. He wore a skirt and tunic along with a long navy blue cape. His multi colored spiky hair was dressed with a golden crown and he wore rings on his fingers that belonged to his late father. The Millennium Puzzle hung around his neck on a brown rope. He had grown over the years, although shorter compared to his high priests, and his chest, abs and arms were more chiseled and toned.

He closes his naturally narrowed eyes and takes a deep breath. Years of training and teachings by his father had prepared him for this moment. As the large doors open, making way for the sound of the loud cheers of his people, he opens his eyes and steps out until he reaches the balcony, standing alongside his advisor, Shimon who wore a tall purple hat.

Men, women and children changed 'pharaoh' repeatedly. He decided to keep it short by raising his right hand to wave and they all respond with a bow.

'I'm going to have to get used that,' he thought to himself before Shimon leads him inside.

"We have prepared a feast in your honor," the short old advisor tells him as the walk into the throne room. He walked in the center as he is surrounded by servants who bow with their face to the ground in respect. A servant in particular with blue hair and pale skin manages to steal a peek, watching as the new pharaoh walks to his throne and walks up the few stairs to the alter, surrounded by his high priests who also bowed with their right hand over their hearts. There were two in particular that he was most familiar with. His childhood friend Mahad, who had moved up and became not only the strongest magician in the palace, but one of the six priests who held the Millennium Ring. And then there was his older cousin Seto who was the holder of the Millennium Rod.

As he sat down on the throne, Priest Seto steps up and outstretches his hands. "The time has come. Let us all welcome his excellence to the throne of Egypt with the ceremonial festival of the pharaohs!" he announces. Atem couldn't help but smile inwardly. His cousin is typically sarcastic and less than enthused to do things for him. But now that he is pharaoh, all of that is about to change.

Women dressed in long, sheer dresses and revealing tops, dancing for their entertainment. The servants begin to prepare and set food at a long table for them to feast and the priests begin to converse with each other. A woman with long blue hair and wearing a long sleeve shirt and skirt that reached her knees heads back to the kitchen to retrieve more food for the table. Turning the corner, she bumps into another woman with brown spiky hair. Her sleeveless top revealed her brown shoulders and her ruffled straps covered only part of her arms. She also wore a beige pleated mini skirt with charmed bracelets around her wrists and ankles, a matching necklace and a headpiece. She blinks as she held on to an apple using her teeth.

"What are you doing back here Mana?" the slender blue haired woman asks. "Shouldn't you be out there enjoying the festivities?"

Mana takes the apple out of her mouth. "I got hungry. My stomach was growling so bad and I couldn't take it anymore," she whines. She stands by as her friend retrieves more food and she walks back to the throne room with her, leaning up against the wall as the slender servant finishes up with setting the table. She then joins Mana off in a secluded corner of the throne room as they observe the festivities.

"Can you believe the day has finally come?" she asks as Mana munches down on her apple. "Everyone seems so excited."

"Mmm, I don't know, Kisara. Your boyfriend doesn't look too thrilled," Mana jokes, noticing the stoic look on Seto's face who sat with his arms crossed at the table.

Kisara turns a bright red. "We're just friends, Mana. Besides, what would people think if someone of his stature got with an outsider like me?" Kisara, unlike Mana, did not grow up in the palace. She had met Seto when he saved her from slave traders when they were kids. After being caught trying to set her free, they retaliated on Seto, but not before she returned the favor by saving his life. Since then, she has stayed at the palace as a servant, becoming close friends with Mana.

"Besides, he always looks like that," Kisara giggles. "And what about you? You don't seem to 'thrilled' either."

Mana eyes scroll over until they land on Atem. So much had changed between them. Over the years, they began to see less and less of each other. His training to become the next pharaoh and other things had caused them to grow apart. Kisara follows her gaze and smiles in realization.

"You miss him, don't you?"

"Of course I do, Kisara. But things happened and I've moved on. We'll always be the best of friends!"

Atem starts to walk to the table, joining the rest of the priests. As he made his way over, he couldn't help but notice that he was getting stares from some of the women in there. One in particular with long black hair looks at him with her seductive blue eyes and he smirks. The attention from women was something he had grown used to and he knew with his position as pharaoh, that it would continue. As he continued to scan the room, his eyes land on his childhood friend who stood along the wall with Kisara. Her beauty was undeniable. From her perfect curves, her beautiful skin and those eyes of hers.

Mana slowly turns her head, feeling his eyes on her. He gives her a slight wave and she chuckles before waving back with a shake of her head and a smile. It was weird seeing her friend in this position of power. All she saw was the boy that she played tag with in the courtyard. Time sure does fly.

"As much as you two flirt, you'd think you were still together," Kisara chuckles and Mana rolls her eyes.

"I guess I should go join them," Mana says and she quickly walks over to take her seat at the table next to her friend and master, Mahad. She was training under him as his apprentice to become an elite spell caster just like him.

"I propose a toast," announces another priest by the name of Aknadin. He was an older man who happened to be Atem's uncle, father to Seto and the holder of the Millennium eye. He raises up his glass and everyone else does the same. "A toast to the pharaoh"

"To the pharaoh!"

Atem takes a sip of his wine and sets it down on the table. To think all of these people worked for him. He knew he had really big shoes to fill. His father was very well loved by the people of Egypt and he ruled well. He only hoped that he could be as good as his father.

After the festivities were over, heads across the courtyard to turn in for the night in his room. It had been a long day and his first full day of ruling would be tomorrow. He smiles when he sees two familiar people standing off in a distance, engaging in conversation with each other.

"And you need to be up at the break of dawn for our trainings tomorrow," Mahad tells Mana who groans loudly.

"Do I really have to be up so early?" she complains. "There's so much time within a day! Why does it always have to be at the crack of dawn?"

"Not another word. That is final. "

"Mahad…Mana," Atem greets, pausing at the second name and they both turn to him.

"Your highness," Mahad greets back, bowing down. Mana tilts her head to the side before she feels her own head being tilted down by Mahad's large hand.

"There's really no need for that," Atem assures them and they both stand up straight.

Mahad smiles, proud of how far his friend has come. He couldn't be happier to stand by his side. "I hope the festivities were to your liking."

"Yes, thank you."

"So how does it feel being a great and powerful pharaoh?" Mana asks, taking note of his royal wardrobe and of his chiseled features.

"I don't think it has quite set in for me yet, honestly. Maybe ask tomorrow when I have my first full day."

"You should be getting your rest," Mahad advises. "Both of you. It is going to be a long day." He bows once more, excusing himself, leaving Atem and Mana alone.

There is a brief uncomfortable silence between the both of them as Mana stared at the ground and Atem looked off into the distance. Mana clasps her hands together and breathes out and they both make eye contact. "Well, congratulations on becoming pharaoh," she says and she turns to walk away. "I should get go—"

"Mana, wait," he says and she pauses before turning back to him.

"Yes, pharaoh?"

He shakes his head. "You know my real name, Mana. There really is no need for you to call me that."

Mana nods with a smile. "Atem," she corrects herself. It made him feel good and gave him a slight sense of relief when she called him by his name. So much had changed between them and not particularly for the better. So when she addressed him by name, it made him feel as if he hadn't totally lost her. He took in her features once more now that he was at a closer distance. She truly was beautiful.

"Did you need something?" she asks, breaking him out of his thoughts. Why had he stopped her again?

"I just…wanted to tell you how beautiful you look tonight," he compliments.

She smiles, rolling her eyes. He was never shy with expressing himself, that's for sure. "Thank you. And you're looking quite regal." She notices as he gazes down to the ruby necklace that she is wearing around her neck. The gold around it really complimented her skin well and the ruby sparkled under the full moon.

"I see you're wearing the necklace I got you," he notes, and she looks down at it, partially covering it with her hand. It was a gift he had given her years ago for her birthday.

"Mhmm," she simply responds with a nod. There is another uncomfortable silence between them. He was clearly beating behind the bush about something. But Mana wasn't sure if she wanted to stick around for any more awkward silences. "I'm sorry, I really should get going. Mahad has me waking up bright and early."

"Yes, of course," he replies, stepping to the side to let her pass.

"I'll see you around! And congratulations again!" And with that, she darts off in the direction of her quarters. He slaps a hand on his forehead before sliding it down his face. For someone as charismatic as him, he sure did know how to make things awkward. With a heavy sigh, he heads to his room to prepare for his first day.


	2. Chapter 2

Mana groans loudly as she drags herself out of bed the next morning. It is so early that the sun was barely up in the sky. Why Mahad always insisted on training at the break of dawn was beyond her. She walks out of her room, rubbing her eyes and giving out a long yawn. She followed the other line of magicians who were also off to the secondary spell caster's training grounds to train as well. They were made up of bulky, muscular men, with her being the only girl. But she never let that intimidate her. She always held her own and then some. The original training grounds were in a desert, but it was under construction after it was partially destroyed by a training gone haywire. The secondary location was located within the palace walls in a secluded area.

As she passes one of the halls, she stops in her tracks and hides behind one of the walls when she sees Kisara standing outside of Seto's bedroom. They stood in close proximity to each other. Seto's normally cold glare was softened when he looked down at Kisara. Whether he liked to admit it or not, Kisara brought out a more compassionate side to him, though he would always play it off when he was in public.

"I should get going," Kisara says, tucking a long strand of blue hair behind her ear. "There's things that need to be done around the palace." Seto never liked her current role as a servant in the palace. After she saved his life using her powerful abilities, he thought she was worth more than that. But she didn't mind. She was grateful to be in the palace, away from those thugs that tried to sell her. She didn't have to fend for herself everyday and she always had a meal.

"Meet me back here tonight," he says in a whisper and she nods with a smile.

"You two are so cute," Mana says as she casually slides by, causing them both to jump a little.

"How long have you been lurking around?" Seto asks, folding his arms, his cold gaze returning to his face along with a red hue on his cheeks.

"M-Mana! I thought you had training today!" Kisara says, clearly flustered.

Mana continues to walk with her hands behind her back with a mischievous grin and Kisara runs to catch up with her as Seto growls inwardly before her makes his way to the throne room. "You lied to me, Kisara. I'm hurt," Mana says with a playful pout.

"Please don't tell anyone about this, Mana," Kisara pleads. "I don't want to get him in trouble. Or me."

"Of course I won't tell," Mana says reassuringly. "Your secret is safe with me! But you guys are so cute!" She gives Kisara a few playful jabs on the arm as Kisara uses her hair to hide the blush that is appearing on her face.

Atem makes his way to his throne with his navy blue cape whipping behind him. His guards and priests all kneel until he finally takes his seat, inhaling deeply before releasing. Today was the big day. He didn't quite know what to expect today. Even though he shadowed his father many times, things could still be quite unpredictable.

As his priests discuss different tasks that needed to be done, including building a statue in the pharaoh's honor, Atem's mind couldn't help but wonder. He had only been in the throne room a few moments and he was already feeling the pressure. His father was a lot to live up to. Although his advisors saw the huge potential in him, he doubted himself. Normally Mahad or Mana would be the one to give him advice. But Mahad was off training the magicians and Mana was with him. He decided to make it a point to talk to at least one of them.

The large double doors to the throne room's entrance opens and three guards escort in a prisoner to be judged by the pharaoh and his priests. Although the prisoner's arms were tied up, they each held spears closely to him as a precaution. They bring him to the front and the prisoner drops to his knees.

"Trying to rob the palace is an inexcusable crime" says priest Isis, a woman who held the power of the Millennium Necklace.

"Your soul must be judged by the Millennium Items," Atem says, looking over to Seto who nods.

"He's right. Guards, bring us a sealing tablet at once," Seto orders. A group of guards bring over a large tablet and set it behind the prisoner and they begin the process of the Millennium trial, a process in which they expel the evil within a person's soul, usually in the form of a monster and seal it within the stone tablet. Atem had seen this process many times. Karim, another priest, could measure the amount of darkness within someone by using his Millennium scale. The Millennium Key, used by priest Shada would be used to reveal the monster in its true form. And then finally, Seto would use his Millennium Road to seal the monster within the tablet. Occasionally, if it is a stronger monster, a duel would ensue, but today was not the case. Once the process is over, they lead the prisoner away.

'That wasn't too bad,' Atem thought to himself with relief. But it was only the beginning of the day. Who knew what else would occur.

As the day progressed, they royal court took a recess. Atem stands up from his throne. He couldn't wait to finally get some fresh air and have a bit of time to himself. Or so he thought.

"You're doing an excellent job your majesty," Shimon compliments.

"Thank you Shimon."

"The magicians are still in training at the moment. May I suggest we check in on their progress? As you know, they also play a huge factor should we ever go into war."

"Sure…" Atem says reluctantly and he lets Shimon take the lead to the training grounds of the spell casters.

Mana holds her blue wand in her hand as she stood back to back with another magician in training who held a wooden staff in his hand. They were surrounded by mock soldiers that Mahad had materialized as apart of their training. Mahad stood on top of a balcony, watching the trainings take place. Mana was his top student, but his other student Odion had great potential.

"You must learn to work together as a team as situations like this may occur," Mahad calls out to them. "Let's see how you to fare off when you're surrounded."

"What do you say, Mana? I take on my half and you take on your half?" Odion suggests and Mana nods.

"Sounds like a plan to me! Let's do this!" They both dart off in opposite directions, using a combination of their magic and hand to hand combat to defeat the soldiers. Mana holds her wand back as she runs to one of the soldiers, preparing to strike. She whacks on of them with the ball point of her wand and then quickly dodges another attack before shooting a magical blast, causing a few of the soldiers to disintegrate.

Odion turns his head, finding it hard not to be distracted by her skill. He was a tall, muscular man who wore golden ankh earrings. He was mostly bald except for the hair on the back of his head that was tied into a ponytail. He was dark skinned with sharp green eyes.

"Watch out!" Mana yells, shooting an attack to one of the soldiers that tried to creep behind him. His eyes widen in shock and he grips his staff tighter. How could he let himself get so distracted?

"My apologies, Mana. It won't happen again."

"Focus Odion!" Mahad yells from the balcony. "A mistake like that could cost you and anyone else around you their lives!"

"Good afternoon Mahad," Shimon greets and he and Atem join him. "How goes it?"

"Good afternoon Shimon…and my king," he greets back. "See for yourself." He motions toward the two magicians below as they fought of more of the mock soldiers. Mana dodges and attacks with ease. It was a training that she was used to and had been through many times. The moves of her enemies had become so predictable. She jumps in the air, kicking one of the soldiers down and lands gracefully.

"Mana has greatly improved," Shimon notes.

"Indeed," Mahad agrees.

Atem watches as Mana defeats the soldiers one by one. Even though there were many, she still kept her cheerful and carefree attitude. That was very typical of her. Always remaining positive and optimistic despite the situation.

Until…

A rather large soldier whips out a random snake from underneath their sleeve and it hisses toward Mana's face, causing her to shriek in terror. If there was anything she hated more, it was snakes.

"EEK! NOPENOPENOPENOPE!" she screams as the soldier chases her around with the snake. Mahad, Atem and Shimon drop their heads and a pearl of sweat appears on their temples.

"Some things never change," Mahad comments, placing a hand on his forehead.

"She never quite got over you being bit by a snake when we were kids," Atem reminds him, rubbing the back of his neck. The snake had come down from a tree that he and Mana were playing around and originally had its sights set for Atem until Mahad intervened. The whole ordeal left Mana hysterical and traumatized.

"Simulation over!" Mana yells, hiding behind Odion.

Mahad sighs heavily. "Mana you can't—"

"OVER!" She whips her head to glare at Mahad with glowing red eyes, her voice sounding slightly demonic. With the snap of his fingers, Mahad makes any remaining soldier disappear and he shakes his head. She breathes a sigh of relief, holding her chest. In just that instant, she saw her life flash before her eyes.

"She still has some ways to go," Mahad remarks and he turns to leave with Shimon while Atem stays behind.

Mana drops to her knees, trying to catch her breath. "I…hate…snakes…" she pants before looking over to Odion remorsefully. "I'm sorry for ruining the training."

"It's quite alright," he assures her, helping her to her feet. "I still think you're amazing."

She blushes and rubs the back of her head with a chuckle. "Thank you."

Atem's eyes widen as he watches the two magicians interact with each other, noticing Mana's body language and her red cheeks as she talked to the taller man. What did he say that's got her all flustered, he thought. Were they a thing? He had never seen that man in his life. He couldn't help but feel a certain kind of way. He was the only one that could get her like that. Or so he thought.

He hears some footsteps behind him and turns around to see Kisara sweeping away. Maybe she would know. "Kisara," he calls out to her and she promptly goes up to him, giving him a bow. Atem raises his hand and shakes his head. Didn't his friends know that they didn't have to bow to him every single time?

"Yes, pharaoh?"

"Tell me. Who is that individual down there talking with Mana?" he asks. Kisara raises an eyebrow before looking down into the training grounds, watching Mana talk to the man in question.

"That's Odion. One of Mahad's new magicians."

"I see…Are he and Mana…" he trails off and Kisara looks at him questionably once again before she smiles in realization.

"That is something you will have to ask her my king," she replies and she starts to excuse herself, turning away.

"Tell Mana to meet me in my quarters," he tells her, keeping an eye out on the two below. Kisara nods and goes about her way.

Later that night, she and Mana both walk down the dim hall, headed in different directions. "I wonder why he wants to see me," Mana asks aloud.

"Not sure," Kisara replies with a shrug, although she had a hunch. They both pause as the halls lead to two separate directions.

"And where are you headed?" Mana asks, grinning from ear to ear. "Your bedroom isn't on this side of the palace." She looks down the hall to the room that belonged to Seto and she snickers, causing her friend to blush madly.

"Mana, cut it out!"

"Hehehe…say no more. Enjoy." They walk off in separate directions and Mana approaches Atem's door that is being guarded by two guards.

"Hi guys!" she greets with a wave. Despite her bubbly nature, they manage to keep a straight face, staring forward and keeping focus as they held their spears in hand.

"Mana, no one is allowed to disturb the pharaoh," one of the guards say as Mana looks at the back of her hand, having heard the same lingo over and over again.

"Yeah, yeah I know," Mana says before raising her index finger up to her temple. "Freeze spell." She walks past the guards who remain frozen from a spell that she would chant normally to get past them. Sometimes she wondered why they even tried, but she knew they were just doing their job. She peeks around the door, seeing Atem stand at a further distance, looking out the window and a mischievous smile curls on her lips as she attempts to sneak up behind him.

He closes his eyes and enjoys the cool breeze that blew through his window. Today had been quite the day and he was relieved to be away from it all and happy to have the non-stop antics of Mana to cheer him up. "Nice try, Mana," he says, opening his eyes and she drops her hands with dimmed eyes at her failed attempt to scare him.

"One of these days, I'll get you good," she mutters, plopping down on his bed, bouncing a little bit from how soft yet firm it is. "How can I help you, your highness?"

"Mana." He absolutely hated when he referred to him like that when she didn't need to.

She giggles as he turns to face her. "How did your first day go? Send anyone to the shadow realm yet?"

"Not quite. But I feel as if it went well." He looked less than enthused to Mana's surprise. She was expecting a different reaction. A sense of relief maybe? Or perhaps a feeling accomplishment? But none of that showed on his face.

"Well that's good. But why do you look so down?"

"I just wonder if I'll ever live up to everyone's expectations of me. And my father…"

Mana shakes her head. "Don't sweat it! You'll do just fine. You're more than capable of ruling Egypt."

"But what about—"

"Shhh!" she interrupts, hopping up and wrapping an arm around his neck and bringing him so close that their cheeks pressed against one another. "You hear that?"

Atem looks at her questionably as her eyes scan the room. "Hear…what, exactly?"

"That's the sound of a whole lotta doubt coming from someone who shouldn't have any." She releases him and twirls around to stand directly in front of him. "You can't think about all of those things, Atem. Stop comparing yourself to your father. You're not him."

Atem's eyes lower. "I know but—"

"No but's! Focus on making your own mark and your own impact and stop putting yourself down. The Atem I know is confident and strong and smart!"

He smiles after hearing her he encouragement. Although blunt, she always knew what to say to bring him out of his funk. He missed talking to her on a daily basis. It was her positivity and light that made his days a little easier. "Thank you, Mana."

"Anytime."

"I saw your training earlier. You looked great."

Mana rubs her arm and looks away. "Yeah well…pretty dirty trick for Mahad to equip one of those simulation guards with a snake."

Atem covers his mouth in an attempt to prevent himself from laughing out loud, but Mana notices and cuts her eyes at him. "By the way," he begins, wanting to get to the question he's wanted to ask her all along. "Who was that man fighting beside you?"

"Hm?" Mana tilts her head, wondering why he would want to know such a thing. "His name is Odion. And before you ask, the answer is no."

Atem blinks a few times and looks at her with a hint of disbelief, even though he had every intention of asking if they were dating or not. "I wasn't going to ask. I was just curious, that's all. I've never seen someone make you blush the way he did—"

"Except you, right?" Mana asks with a smirk and Atem's eyes widen. She was onto him for sure. She knew he was beating around the bush about a bigger issue.

"Well I uh…" He stutters, trying to find a comeback. She was the only one that could get the last word with him and she was always quick on her feet with her comebacks.

"I need to go. I can't keep your guards frozen forever."

Atem blinks. "You froze them?"

"Of course I did," she replies with a shrug and a smile, acting as if doing so isn't a big deal at all. "It's what I always do, is it not?"

"Well…you got me there." As she turns to leave, he suddenly had the impulse to grab her by the hand. He desperately wanted things to be back to normal between them. But he had ruined it. He didn't make as much time as he promised he would to be with her. Mana had been very understanding for a long time, but it came to the point where he would forget about their scheduled hang outs. Finally, she had enough and rightfully so.

_Maybe we would be better of as friends. It's okay. We can still be the best of friends,_ he remembered her saying with a forced smile as tears welled up in her eyes. He knew he had hurt her as much as she tried to hide it. Before the tears could fall, she quickly ran off in the opposite direction, leaving him standing in the courtyard feeling an immense amount of guilt and shame.

Since then, she has devoted most of her time to her magician trainings. They would still see each other, but the meetings were often short due to Atem's busy schedule.

As she finally opens the door to leave, she quickly turns her head to playfully stick her tongue out him, a tradition they had started when they were kids, to which he returns the gesture and she runs out. It's good to know some things haven't changed.


	3. Chapter 3

The month seemed to fly by with Atem as the new pharaoh. He quickly realized that he was quite the natural at leading and decision making, just as his father was. He was praised for his ability to think well on his feet and being able to negotiate with other leaders, avoiding a war in one instance. He truly was meant for this.

As the guards carry out an offender, Shimon turns to him with a smile. "Excellent work once again my king. Your father would be proud." Atem smiles. Hearing those words meant a lot to him more than Shimon would ever know and it gave him confirmation that he was in fact doing a great job. "Before we dismiss for the day, there is a subject that I need to bring up."

Atem raises an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"This may seem sudden," he begins, as Atem takes a sip of red wine. "But you are at the age in which you should be considering marriage." Atem gulps down his wine before coughing uncontrollably, hitting his chest to keep from choking any further. "Are you alright?"

"E-Excuse me?" The last thing on his mind was marriage. He had just started his reign as pharaoh, still getting the hang of everything and _this_ was next on the agenda?

"Why yes. As you know, arranged marriages are common. And your father had arranged for you to be married to someone in particular."

"And…just who is that someone in particular?" Atem asks reluctantly, afraid of his answer. He vaguely remembered his father talking about it when he was younger, but it was something he had blocked out of his mind, secretly wishing that an arranged marriage for him would not come to pass. Apparently his father had agreed with the person is particular's parents with a price and gift.

When he finally revealed the name, Atem's jaw drops in disbelief. "We'll arrange for a meeting between you two at once," Shimon says with a smile, walking away with his hands behind his back.

"Now hold on!" Atem calls after him, quickly raising from his seat, feeling sweat drench his forehead and a great amount of dread. Anyone but her, he thought.

Kisara walks into the kitchen that evening, organizing different foods into their respective piles. She wipes some sweat off her forehead and sighs. The sun had been extremely harsh to her that day and she was relieved that it had finally set. She scoops down to pick up a bucket and sponge to clean the floor and turns around. A few splashes of water jump out of the wooden pail as she bumps into a priest in particular. Without having to look up, she recognized his clothing and scent from anywhere.

"Seto, what are you doing here?" she asks, placing the pail down.

"The question is, what are you doing up so late cleaning?" he asks, placing a hand on his hip.

She smiles. "You know I'm a perfectionist, Seto. I just wanted to make sure everything was clean before going to bed. Is there something you needed?"

"As a matter of fact, there is," he replies, wrapping an arm around her waist and bringing her closer, causing a blush to appear on her cheeks.

"S-Seto? Should I perhaps meet you in your—" Before she could finish, he captures her lips in a kiss, unable to wait any longer. It had been quite the day and seeing Kisara brought him much happiness and relief and vice versa. She places her hands on his strong chest, returning the kiss. For that split moment, she had forgotten about the cleaning she had set out to do. But their moment of bliss didn't last long. Seto's keen senses felt a pair of eyes on him which causes him to break the kiss abruptly and turn around quickly. To his shock it is none other than his cousin, his amethyst eyes gave them a blank stare before regaining his composure.

"Have any of you seen Mana?" he asks, completely disregarding what he just saw.

A shuffle from a nearby closet causes all of their heads to turn their attention there. Seto quickly stands in protectively in front of Atem and Kisara, his eyes set on the closet. "Who goes there?" he asks, edging closer and closer as Atem and Kisara trailed behind him. He swings the door open and a vein appears on his forehead in annoyance as Mana tumbles out with an apple in her mouth.

Kisara sweat drops, feeling embarrassed. It was bad enough the pharaoh witnessed their display of affection, but had her friend too? "Mana? What are you doing in here?"

"I was hungry!" she mumbles with the apple still in her mouth, laying upside down until Seto snatches her up.

"So you hid in the closet…" Seto says, folding his arms, not believing her for one second.

"You looked pretty hungry too, Seto. You know, by the way you were attacking Kisara's face like that and all," Mana says tilting her head and taking another bite of her apple.

Kisara completely hides her face with her hair while Seto grits his teeth, the smoke was practically blowing out of his ears as his whole body seemed to turn a bright red. "WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"And it's time to go," Atem says as he quickly wraps an arm around Mana's waist, scooping her up and starting to walk out of the kitchen. There was no protesting from her as he carried her away as she was perfectly content with her apple and unfazed. She always had a bit of feistiness in her, even if she was unaware of how she came across sometimes. "I also suggest you two find a better spot for your public displays of affection."

"Ah yes. I'm sure you and Mana have it down to a tee," Seto retorts sarcastically, fully aware of what he considers an odd relationship between the king and magician. He knew they still flirted occasionally and snuck time away with each other to do who knows what, despite their break up. Atem only replies with a side eye and a grunt, before focusing on why he wanted Mana for in the first place.

After sneaking up to Atem's room…and a freeze spell, Mana once again finds herself sitting crossed legged on his bed. Her aquamarine eyes went from left to right as she watched him pace the room back in forth, clearly bothered by something. She makes an apple that she had stashed from earlier appear in her hands and just as she is about to take a bite, he quickly turns to face her.

"W-What?" she stutters, fumbling her apple after being startled by his abrupt turn and she catches the fruit before it hits the floor. "I swear I was just hungry! I was not spying!"

"Although I find that very hard to believe, that is not why I brought you up here," he replies with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh thank Ra," she breathes out in relief, holding her chest. "For a moment there I thought you were gonna scold me for hiding in the food closet again. You know we have the best fruit and…"

"Mana…" He could tell she was getting distracted, going on one of her rants. Typical her.

"…and seriously they really do need to be more careful. What if someone else had caught them? You and I were way better at hiding…"

"Mana." He could feel himself slowly toning her out, the marriage subject weighing on his mind. Why did she have to choose now to go on one of her random rants? He finally decides to place a finger on her lips to get her stop and miraculously that worked. Normally she would just remove his hand and continue talking.

"There's something I need to tell you," Atem says as she gives him a puzzled look. "Apparently my father had made arrangements for me to get married."

Mana's eyes widen with surprise. "Married?"

Atem nods in response with his eyes lowered. "I'm supposed to be meeting her soon." He looks back up at Mana, clenching his fists in a manner like a child not getting their way. "But I don't want to get married. I'm not ready for that."

Mana covers her mouth and snickers. "Yeah, you couldn't even make time for a regular relationship. You're definitely not ready."

Atem rolls his eyes. "Okay, I deserved that. But I just want to be able to choose who I marry someday. It just doesn't seem fair…"

"So what are you gonna do?" She finally takes a bite of her apple that she longed to have since she came in his room.

"I don't have a choice," he sighs. "It was my father's wishes to marry her. I don't want to disappoint him…"

"But what do _you_ wanna do?"

"It doesn't matter…"

Mana frowns and shakes her head. Being a pharaoh was such hard work. Harder than she could ever imagine. There are so many things expected of you and so much pressure to make the right decisions. And on top of that, an arranged marriage? As much as she tried to hide it, she couldn't help but feel a tugging at her heart. To see another woman wrapped around his arm would be difficult. She quickly clears those thoughts out of her head. If she lingered on them for too long, she would be bawling on the floor. She had long suppressed her feelings, acting as if everything is okay and that she is perfectly content with just being friends.

She wasn't.

There were times where she wanted to leap into his arms and tell him she forgave him for all of those times he promised to make time or when he promised to do better. He would more than likely have feelings of glee if he ever heard those words 'I forgive you.' But then again, maybe not. It appeared that he was going to go through with this marriage whether he liked it or not.

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In the throne room the next day, Atem sits on his throne with his arms crossed, his index finger tapping on his arm anxiously. It was only yesterday that Shimon had mentioned the arranged marriage to a particular someone. His advisor had wasted no time for a meeting between them and apparently she was within the palace walls and making her way to the throne room at this very moment.

He slouches in his seat, lowering his eyes in thought. Mana really didn't have the reaction he was looking for last night. He thought she would be more devastated at the news, but instead, she barely showed any emotion at all. A small part of him still held out on hope that maybe, just maybe, she would take him back. But maybe it was finally time to move on. She clearly did.

The large doors to the throne room slowly open and Atem quickly sits up in his seat, putting on a brave face. A feminine figure steps in with her advisor following closely behind her. The woman wore a long white skirt that was fitted around her hips with a matching tunic that was as equally fitted as her skirt. Her long pink cape flowed behind her and she wore gold jewelry around her neck and wrists. Her short brown hair that reached a few inches below her chin was adorned with golden accessories as well and her blue eyes were soft yet slightly narrowed. The assistant wore a long white robe with pink designs on the sleeves and around the chest area and had lilac hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"Welcome Princess Teana of Giza," Shimon greets.

"Greetings Shimon," Teana greets back with a smile and a slight nod. "It has been far too long."

"Agreed. Why, I haven't seen you since you were a child," he reminisces. Years ago, she had came along with her royal parents in order to negotiate the marriage with Pharaoh Aknamkanon.

"This is my advisor, Miho," she introduces the woman behind her and gives a bow. "I hope you don't mind that I've brought her along."

"Not at all. She is welcomed to stay here for the duration of your visit."

Atem finally stands up and walks down the few steps to approach the princess. Not much had changed from the last time he had saw her besides the fact that she had grown and matured into an admittedly beautiful young woman. But as a kid, he remembered her being quite spoiled, stopping at nothing to get her way. Maybe all of that had changed. He decides to keep an open mind as he finally steps in front her.

"Hello Teana," he says to her with a friendly smile.

"Long time no see," she says back, eyeing him up in down, noticing his royal wardrobe and crown, not to mention his physique. "It's great to see you again."

"Likewise…I hope life has been treating you well."

"And same to you."

"Maybe you could show her around the palace since she will be staying here for awhile," Shimon whispers to him and he nods in agreement.

"Come. I shall give you a tour of the palace," he says, leading her away and her advisor stays behind to talk with Shimon.

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"Someone's a little more hyper than usual," Mana notes as she walks alongside her friend in the courtyard with her hands behind her back. Kisara had a little pep in her step as she walked alongside her smiling from ear to ear, humming random notes.

"It's just a beautiful day, don't you think?" Kisara comments, dodging whatever Mana was trying to allude to. Mana smirks. She knew when Kisara was hiding something from her, but she was able to put two and two together after seeing her and Seto making out in the kitchen last night.

"Ah yes, mighty nice weather we're having for sure," Mana plays along before they both burst out into laughter. After Kisara started staying the palace, it wasn't long before she found friendship with Mana, who then introduced her to Atem and Mahad. After Mana was done with her lessons—or whenever she would sneak away from them, she would run off to find Kisara somewhere in the palace doing her duties. Mana would keep her company until she was finished with her chores and then they would both find something fun to do. They were inseparable.

Mana sighs. "You'll never guess the kind of night I had."

"Well after seeing Atem carry you out of the kitchen, I can take a few guesses," Kisara giggles and Mana grunts.

"No, nothing like that. But he told me that his father arranged a marriage for him to some princess in another region in Egypt."

Kisara's mouth goes agape in shock. "Married?" Mana nods her head. "How does that make you feel?"

"I have so many emotions, but if I had to choose, it'd be sad if anything. Sad for me and sad for him."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"I don't think he really wants to go through with it. And I guess a small part of me wishes we could get back together. But I guess it just wasn't meant to be and I truly need to move on."

"Have you two ever really talked about the situation? Have you been able to express how he made you feel or have you ever given him the chance to apologize?"

"Not really…"

They turn a corner to walk down the hall and they both pause when they see none other than Atem standing side by side with a woman they had never seen before. They both were staring at a statue that was built in honor of his late father. Mana and Kisara quickly hide behind the corner.

"Who is that?" Kisara whispers.

"I don't know," Mana whispers back, squinting her eyes to get a better look. She could only see the profile of the woman and her brown hair hid most of her face.

"I'm sorry to hear about your father," Teana says remorsefully. "He was a great and powerful ruler who did right by Egypt. I know he is looking down on you right now with such pride."

"Thank you Teana," Atem says.

"Teana…" Mana repeats before turning and resting her back on the wall. "Where have I heard that name before?" She folds her arms and bows her head in deep thought before her eyes widen in realization. She quickly peeks behind the wall again to confirm her suspicions.

Flashback

Atem and Mana run throughout the palace playing their favorite game of tag. "You can't catch me!" Mana yells, looking back at him with a confident smile. He picks up the pace to try and catch up with her. She was always a fast runner, even with her being shorter than him.

As she continues to look back at him, she doesn't notice that she is about to collide into someone.

"Mana, look out!" Atem warns, but it is too late. She falls back and hits the ground after running into another girl with shoulder length brown hair, blue eyes and pale skin. The girl glares at her as she wipes the dirtt off her dress and she stands to her feet.

"Who are you and why are you playing with my future husband?" the girl says coldly.

"Huh?" Mana asks as Atem helps her off the ground.

"I am Princess Teana, and when I grow up, he will be my husband!" she proclaims, pointing at Atem.

He and Mana both exchange confused looks, but Atem decides to introduce them both. "Uh…my name is Atem. And this is my best friend Mana."

"Someone of your status shouldn't be talking to the likes of her," says Teana.

Mana growls, clenching her fist. "Hey! What did you say?!"

"You heard me."

Feeling tension building up between them, Atem decides to intervene, standing in the middle of the two girls.

"That's enough you guys," he says.

Teana turns away. "I should get going," she says before turning her head to Atem, blowing a kiss. "I'll see you later." She skips away as Mana raises an eyebrow with disgust.

"She didn't seem too bad," Atem says sarcastically, rubbing the back of his head, cracking a smile.

"Then go and kiss her then!" Mana teases, making kissing noises. Atem turns red with embarrassment.

"Cut it out!"

"Muah! Muah! I love you husband!" Mana mimics, chasing after him with her arms outstretched.

"Stop it Mana! I command you!"

End Flashback

Mana dims her eyes. "Don't tell me…"

There was no doubt about it. It was in fact the girl from their childhood. They had a few run ins with each other as children and she would always proclaim the same thing. How she would be married to Atem and be a queen someday. But Mana never took her seriously. And apparently neither did Atem.

Until now.


	4. Chapter 4

Mana lays wide awake in her bed that night, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep. Especially after seeing who would become Atem's future wife. Why did it have to be Teana of all people? A girl who has been nothing but mean and ruthless since the day they met? She recounts all the times in which she and Teana had an altercation as children. From Teana tripping her down the stairs to belittling her, the list goes on and on.

She sits up and takes a deep breath before swinging her feet out of the bed and putting on her clothes. It is late, but she feels that now is the perfect time to get some fresh air. The moon shines brightly and leaves a reflection in the courtyard's decorative pool that runs right down the middle. Surprisingly, it isn't too chilly out and she finds a spot on a bench to sit crossed legged on, enjoying the silence. But it isn't long until she hears footsteps coming her way. She turns her head to see none other than her master.

"What are you doing up so late?" Mahad asks, sitting down beside her.

"Mmm…" she hums, looking up into the air, pondering whether or not she should tell him or not. Before being master and student, they were friends. But he just so happens to be friends with Atem as well. She couldn't possibly tell her how she is feeling.

"You can tell me," Mahad encourages.

"I couldn't sleep. So I decided to get some fresh air," she replies, only partially telling the truth.

"I see. But it's very late, Mana. I'd advise against being out here at this time of night."

"Then why are you out here?" Mana asks with a smile and Mahad blushes with embarrassment. Leave it to Mana to always have a comeback. "Or does it not apply to you?"

"Okay, you've made your point. Let's go."

Mana giggles and hops up from the bench, walking alongside Mahad back to their respective quarters. A chill suddenly shoots through Mahad's body and he looks around cautiously. He glances over at Mana who seems oblivious to the impending danger he is sensing, but he decides not to put her on alert until he can confirm. They walk further down the hall until they hear someone yell in pain, causing them to stop in their tracks.

"What was that?!" Mana asks, whipping her head from left to right to figure out the source and Mahad does the same. His Millennium Ring suddenly glows and points straight down a dim hallway. He darts off into that direction and Mana follows closely behind, whipping out her blue wand and holding it defensively in her hands.

As they go further into the hall, they hear a scream once again, followed by a hooded figure running across into another corridor of the palace.

"There!" Mahad calls out and Mana rushes forward to his surprise to chase down the mysterious figure. "Mana, wait!"

"I can handle it master!" she yells back as she continues to pursue them.

Mahad tries to tag along with his student, but a pain filled cry brings his attention on the victim of the attack. Ahead of him, he sees Priest Seto running toward the source of the screams as well.

"Sounds like it is coming from Karim's room," Seto guesses as they both run in the same direction.

"Get back here!" Mana yells behind the hooded figure. But they show no signs of stopping. She grunts in frustration and picks up the pace. As she focuses in one the figure more, she notices that it is holding a gold object in her hands.

Mana gasps. "Is that…is that the Millennium Scale?"

One of the many doors in the hallway opens and Miho pokes out her head to see what the cause of the commotion is. "What is going on?" she asks before gasping at the hooded figure running her way. It slips out a sword from under its sleeve and prepares to swipe and she screams, bracing herself for the pain that would come.

"Watch out!" Mana warns, and she pushes her out of the way. They both land on the ground and Mana slowly lifts her head and grits her teeth as the masked intruder runs away, scaling over the tall palace walls with ease.

"Darn, he got away," she mutters before turning her attention to Miho who grimaces from hitting the floor hard. "Are you okay?"

"Miho!" Teana yells from the room next door, coming after hearing her scream. She looks down as the two women lay in a heap. "What happened here?"

"It appears there was an intruder your highness," Miho responds as Mana helps her to her feet. "Thank you…uh…I never got your name."

"It's—"

"Doesn't matter," Teana interrupts. "Never interrupt my sleep like that again."

Mana's mouth goes agape and Miho bows her head as Teana goes back to her room.

"I'm going to let that go…" Mana says between gritted teeth. "Sheesh…I see she hasn't changed."

"Please don't fault her. She's quite the cranky one when her sleep is disturbed."

"Right…" Mana doesn't believe her for one second. If Teana is the same person from years ago, then she is cranky _all_ the time, sleep or no sleep. And she only cares about herself. "I gotta go. Sorry for the commotion. By the way, it's Mana."

"Thanks Mana," Miho says as she runs off in the opposite direction.

Atem clenches his fists as he and his priests surround the body of Karim. Priestess Isis sobs, crying out his name and she drops to her knees. Mahad crouches down and places a hand on her shoulder soothingly as he looks away.

"Who could have done this?" asks Seto.

"Mana is in pursuit of the intruder as we speak," Mahad answers.

"You sent the girl?" Seto asks in disbelief, not believing the someone like her would be able to capture such a dangerous intruder on her own.

Mahad sighs. "Regrettably yes." It was not his plan to send Mana off on her own. In fact, he didn't send her at all—she volunteered. But he knows they wouldn't want to hear any excuses. He turns to Atem and bows. "I am sorry my king."

Before Atem could respond, Mana runs in. She leans on a nearby wall to try and catch her breath before revealing, "Whoever it was, he got away. And I believe they have the Millennium—" Her eyes slowly scroll down to the body laying on the floor and she gasps with shock, covering her mouth.

"Yes Mana," Mahad says, knowing what she is about to say. "They are in possession of the Millennium Scale." She nods slowly.

"It seems they may be after the Millennium Items," Atem predicts. "Whoever is behind this shall pay dearly."

"We must tighten security," Shimon suggests.

"Agreed," says Seto. "And let it be known that no one is allowed outside of these palace walls until we get to the bottom of this."

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Atem walks out to his balcony the following morning, taking a deep breath. Last nights previous events weigh heavily on his mind. He has only been pharaoh for a short period of time and he already has a casualty. He bangs his fist on the concrete, shaking with rage. He can't let anyone else go down on his watch.

A knock on his door brings him out of his thoughts and he turns his head. "Enter." The door opens and in comes Mahad with Mana sheepishly trailing behind, rubbing her eyes. "Mahad. Mana. What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"Forgive us for intruding," Mahad apologizes as they approach Atem at the balcony.

"It's fine," Atem assures him. "How can I help you?"

Mana gives out a long yawn and Mahad nudges her shoulder, causing her to perk up a bit. "Well we are your friends," Mana says. "We just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"Yes, being pharaoh can be quite tedious. And with what happened last night, I'm afraid it won't get any better any time soon."

"I know," Atem says turning to Mahad. "How is Isis?"

"She is taking the loss really hard," Mahad replies, lowering his eyes. She and Karim had a really close relationship and seeing him lying motionless surrounded by a pool of his own blood really affected her. Mahad lifts his eyes to meet Atem's gaze, a look of determination appearing on his face. "I swear to you, we will find whoever is responsible for this, my king."

Atem nods. "Thank you Mahad. In the mean time, we have to be on our guard. And we have to make sure our guests are protected as well."

"Agreed. Which is why I'm putting Mana in charge of looking after Teana and Miho."

Mana's eyes shoot open and she whips her head to look at Mahad in utter disbelief. "Say what?!"

"You will have to keep them out of harm's way, the same way as I and the other priests do for the pharaoh."

"But master! She hates me!"

"Now Mana, that was years ago. Things change. I'm sure you will get along with her just fine," he assures.

"Why can't Miho look after her?"

Mahad frowns. "You know as well as I do that she isn't capable of doing that."

Mana looks at Atem with pleading eyes, silently begging him to change Mahad's mind. "I'm not getting into the middle of this," Atem says folding his arms and turning away, finding it best not to take sides. Although he sees Mana's side of things, Mahad could be right. Maybe Teana isn't the same girl from years ago. They may quite possibly get along. And Mana is one of Mahad's top magicians which makes her more than capable for the task.

"Fine! I'll do it, but I'm not gonna like it!" Mana surrenders reluctantly, knowing her master will not take no for an answer.

"Thank you Mana."

She groans and walks out of the room as Mahad and Atem look on. "Are you sure that was a wise decision?" Atem questions.

"I have faith in my student. She will be fine."

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Teana slowly sits up in bed and rubs her eyes. The sun shines brightly into her bedroom and onto her pale skin, bringing warmth to her body. After taking a moment to stretch, she starts to get dressed in her royal wardrobe, ending her routine by slinging on her cape and straightening her brown hair. She walks to the door and turns the doorknob and quickly draws in a breath when she sees Mana standing right there with her arms folded.

"What are you doing here?" Teana asks, arching an eyebrow.

"Same thing I'm asking myself," Mana mutters.

"What was that?"

"Uh…I said I've been assigned to looking after you," Mana informs.

Teana snickers and puts her hands on her hips. "Absolutely not. I don't need anyone looking after me."

"Well seeing as we've got a threat on our hands and things are a bit tense around here, I'd say you do."

Teana sucks in her teeth and brushes past Mana, bumping her shoulder. "There's no way I'm letting—" She suddenly doesn't have the ability to move no matter how much she tried. Her body refuses to budge. Mana walks past her and turns around to face her with a blank stare. Teana's frozen expression shows much rage and Mana couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at how crazy she looks. She is tempted to just leave her there, but she knows she can't.

"What are you doing?" a voice from behind her asks causing her to nearly jump out of her skin.

"Master! What are you doing here?" Mana asks, quickly standing in front of Teana and placing a hand behind her head.

"I think the question is, why have you performed a freeze spell on the princess?" Mahad asks, folding her arms and looking down at her questionably.

"Well you told me to look after her."

"And this is your definition of looking after her? Placing spells on them?" Mahad sighs and places a hand on his forehead. Mana can see the disappointment in his eyes and she frowns, dropping her shoulders. "I have high hopes of you Mana. Place your emotions aside and do as I've asked. Do not let me down."

And with that he walks away. Mana feels so many conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she doesn't want to disappoint her master. She wants to prove to him that she is capable of doing what he asked. But on the other hand, she can't stand to be around Teana, especially seeing as her character hasn't changed a bit since they last saw each other. She sighs and reluctantly releases Teana from the spell.

Teana looks around confusedly before setting her angry gaze at Mana. "What did you just do?"

"Not sure what you're talking about," she fibs, placing her hands behind her back with smile.

"Right…"

"But please realize I was being serious. I will be looking after you while you stay here at the palace. It is my duty to make sure you don't put yourself in harm's way, understand?"

"Let's get one thing straight. I'm royalty and you're not. You're beneath me. You will not order me to do anything." Teana snaps as she walks away. Mana's right eye twitches as she tells herself to stay calm in her head. But her pride gets the best of her as she slowly raises her index finger to her temple and chants, "Freeze spell." With her back already turned to her, Mana walks away with a smirk, knowing the outcome of her spell and she turns a corner. To her horror, Atem is walking toward her and she gulps.

'Just play it cool. He won't even know it was you,' she tells her self. She stiffens up and walks more quickly to get by him.

"Mana," Atem says as they pass by each other.

"Pharaoh," she responds with a nervous grin.

How he hated when she called him that. He pauses and turns around to correct her, but she is already gone to his surprise. He raises an eyebrow before turning a corner and gasping when he sees Teana standing with a blue aura around her, frozen in place. He places his palm on his forehead and slides it down, groaning loudly.

Maybe this isn't such a great idea after all.

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Sorry for the long update! Hope you've enjoyed this chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Mana sits on the table in the kitchen, taking a bite out of her apple as Kisara prepares breakfast for the pharaoh and Teana. A few droplets of sweat form on Kisara's forehead as she has been working extremely hard since Teana has come into the picture. From making sure her bedsheets are clean every single day, to having servants dress her so that she doesn't have to move a finger.

Mana frowns, noticing how her friend's normally calm demeanor is replaced with a frantic one. She watches as she fumbles with different plates and bowls and exhaling loudly with frustration when she drops one, causing it to shatter.

"Take it easy, Kisara," Mana says, making her wand materialize in her hand and waving it over the broken bowl. She repairs it back to its usual state with her magic and levitates it to sit on the table. "You okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine," she assures Mana by managing to make a smile appear across her lips. "There's just a lot to be done, is all. What's been going on with you?"

Mana shrugs. "Besides the fact that I now have the responsibility to basically be Teana's bodyguard? Not much. Not much at all," she replies sarcastically.

Kisara blinks. "Say what now? And how's that been going?" She recalls how Mana told her how much they dislike each other ever since they were kids.

"She's been driving me up a wall for the past three days."

"Figures," Kisara says with a slight chuckle.

"I feel like Mahad is punishing me."

"I'm sure that's not it, Mana. He just has a lot of faith in you. I'd take it as a compliment."

Mana groans. Anything dealing with Teana is less than a compliment. They pause their conversation when they hear footsteps coming their way and they look toward the doorway to see Seto. His face quickly goes from relief to seeing Kisara, to disappointment when his eyes land on Mana.

"Well I should be going. Wouldn't want to interfere with you two eating each other's faces off," Mana jokes, skipping away with a smile, causing Kisara to blush and Seto to growl inwardly.

She continues to skip until she is outside, met by the heat that emits from the sun. She breathes in all of the fresh air before exhaling. "Maybe I can get to practicing some of my magic."

"Good morning, Teana," she hears a familiar voice say and she quickly jumps behind a nearby pillar. She peeks from behind and sees Teana approaching Atem with a smile.

"Good morning to you as well," Teana greets back, stealing a quick glance at Atem's physique. From those toned arms, melanin skin and amethyst eyes, he truly is a sight to behold. Not to mention that deep, manly voice of his.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I did, thank you."

Mana rubs the back of her head, feeling uncomfortable ease dropping on their conversation. "Small talk. Lovely," she mutters and she attempts to sneak away.

"I'm having breakfast prepared for the both us. It should be ready soon."

"How lovely! I can't wait!" Teana says, clasping her hands together. She looks over Atem's shoulder to see Mana tiptoeing away. "Oh hello, Mana! Good morning!"

Mana cringes before dimming her eyes. She didn't get away quick enough. "Come on, Mana. Smile. Smile super big," she says to herself before whipping around and chuckling loudly. "Oh hey you two! Didn't even see you there!" Teana motions for her to come over and she groans.

"Mana has been such a great help," Teana says to Mana's surprise. "With everything going on, I feel much safer with her around."

Atem and Mana's eyes widen. "Excellent. I'm glad to hear," Atem replies.

"She's such an amazing person," Teana continues as Mana side eyes her suspiciously. Why is she being nice to her all of a sudden? Since the moment she stepped foot into this palace, she has been nothing but rude and mean. Surely Atem isn't buying all of this. Her eyes slowly scroll over to Atem who listens to Teana talk about Mana enthusiastically. Mana drops her head with disappointment. He's totally buying her facade. She gasps when Teana places an arm around her, bringing her close into a side hug.

"…And I'm sure that with a lot of practice, she will be an amazing magician," she continues and Mana grunts. She is quite the actress.

"I tell her that all the time," Atem chimes in and Mana shoots him a glare.

'For Ra sake, don't agree with her, Atem!' she screams in her head.

"I look forward to seeing you at breakfast," Atem says as their small talk finally comes to an end to Mana's relief and he walks away. As soon as he is out of sight, Mana breaks free from Teana's grasp, dusting off her clothes and panting heavily as if she were previously being suffocated by being in such close proximity to each other.

Teana flips her hair with a smirk. "Well I'm off to go have breakfast with my future husband," she says.

"Great. Then I should be going about my way," Mana says, attempting to walk away before Teana can order her around.

"No, I think I would like you to be present for this."

"That's not how this works," Mana points out. "Surely you don't need me to be around for a simple breakfast."

"You never know when evil may be lurking around. You can never be too careful," she replies with a grin.

"Great."

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In a room specifically for this private moment, Atem and Teana sit across from each other eating the food that the servants have prepared for them. Though, the breakfast that they are having is only semi-private with Mana standing off in a corner with her arms folded and her head turned away with a pout.

'There's absolutely no reason why I need to be here,' Mana thinks angrily to herself. 'I could be using this time to train. But Teana only seeks to make me feel as uncomfortable as much as she possibly can.' She cringes as Teana giggles and feeds Atem a grape and other food from her plate.

Atem rubs the back of his head as a drop of sweat falls down his temple. He doesn't feel right doing this in front of Mana. He glances over at her. Her head is turned away and he can't see her facial expression. Maybe Mana doesn't care at all. His eyes look down to her crossed arms, her index finger tapping up and down and her body slightly shaking. Her body language says otherwise.

"You look so tense, pharaoh," Teana observes. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Uh…" Atem begins. He doesn't want to hurt her feelings, but she has been coming on really strong and her personality really is over the top. He tries to stay open minded about this future union that his father has arranged, but deep down in his heart, he can't bring himself to, no matter how much he tries.

Shimon appears at the doorway and bows his head. "I'm sorry to interrupt my king."

Atem quickly stands up. Perfect timing. "Shimon. What is it?"

"You're needed in the throne room."

A wave of relief hits Atem as he prepares to walk away. "My apologies Teana. But I must go," he informs, much to her disappointment and he walks away, leaving her at the table alone. She sets down her napkin and clenches the fabric of her dress in anger.

Mana shrugs her shoulders. "Life being a pharaoh, I guess," she says. "But at least you have all the food to yourself."

Teana growls and looks at Mana, her blue eyes narrowed and her expression resembling a child who doesn't get their way. "I don't need your unnecessary commentary. Get out of my sight."

"So_ now_ you want me to leave?"

"Out!" Teana shouts and Mana shakes her head.

"What's with you? Why do you hate me so much?" Mana asks to which Teana doesn't answer. She just continues to glare at Mana until she finally gets the hint to walk out of the room.

"Sheesh…what's with her?" Mana mumbles. "I've never done anything to her. There's no reason for her to be that way." She sucks her teeth and lets out a long exhale before rubbing her temples.

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A few more days have gone by with surprisingly no incident at all. But the palace remains heavily guarded and the rules regarding not leaving the palace walls remain in affect. Mana rolls her neck and growls as she walks down the hall toward the throne room, being called there for a meeting. Having the task of looking after Teana has put her in such a bad mood lately. She is starting to wonder if Teana is rubbing off on her and tarnishing her positive, upbeat spirit.

From Teana's demanding ways and being constantly talked down to like she is nothing, Mana once again feels like a little kid, when Teana used to do the same exact thing. She stops in front of the entrance of the throne room and takes a deep breath, stretching her arms above her head and collecting herself. 'I can't disappoint Mahad. He's counting on me,' she says to herself.

"You okay, Mana?" asks a feminine voice and she turns around to see her friend Kisara who is carrying a wooden bucket and rag.

Mana drops her head and sighs, slowly shaking her head. "Why do I have to look after Teana?" she whines. "She's so…ugh."

Kisara chuckles. "Aw come on. She can't be that bad."

"Says the same woman who was all flustered and stressed the other day preparing breakfast for her."

"Okay, okay. So she's not your perfect angel," Kisara giggles as a small blush appears on her cheeks.

"And since Atem hasn't been spending much time with her due to all of his responsibilities, her mood swings have been through the roof. They hang out, but then he gets pulled away for something important. So then she whines and whines and whines and takes her frustrations out on me. I'm sick of it," Mana complains throwing up her arms. "At least she gets to spend time with him, even if for a little while. I don't get to do that at all nowadays."

"You sure you're not jealous?" Kisara asks with a smirk.

Mana blushes madly. "No! I'm not jealous!"

"Something tells me you're not over him like you say you are. Maybe you should talk to him."

"No way," Mana refuses. "Plus, what is that gonna solve? It's not like he's gonna totally ditch Teana for me. It was his father's wish for him to marry her."

Kisara shrugs her shoulders. "Suit yourself then." She just doesn't understand why Mana doesn't express herself to Atem. Clearly his feelings are still there for her and vice versa. Even if nothing happens, it would still give them some sort of closure, especially since their relationship ended abruptly on a rough note.

Mana sighs as she finally walks into the throne room. Atem hasn't made it in yet, but all of the priests, besides the now deceased Karim, are all there along with Shimon. She stands alongside Mahad who looks down at her, noticing that her mood is a bit off. "You're late," he points out.

"Atem isn't here yet. I'd say I'm on time," she says back, not giving him any eye contact.

"It's 'pharaoh' in the throne room, Mana," he corrects her and she sighs. He raises an eyebrow at her. Something is definitely off. "Your attitude isn't very becoming of someone who is studying to become an elite spell caster." She sighs once again. The last thing she needs is someone else scolding her, as if she hasn't heard it enough from Teana. Sensing her agitation, Mahad decides not to press the issue any further. For now.

Atem finally walks into the room and they all bow with respect until he reaches his throne. Then a discussion commences as they talk about last week's events and if there are any leads as to who is behind Karim's murder. So far, nothing has come up, much to Atem's frustration. There is no way that he is going to let anyone get away with what they did to Karim. And the fact that the Millennium Scale is in the wrong hands is even more alarming to him.

"Was this possibly an isolated incident?" Aknadin asks. "Perhaps the thief doesn't know the significant power the Millennium Item holds."

"It does seem odd that there have not been any other attempts," Mahad agrees.

"Know this…We will not stop until we find whoever is behind this," Seto vows.

Atem nods. "For now, we will keep the guards on alert and prepare in the meantime for any impending threat."

After their meeting, all of the priests disperse except for Mahad who whispers at his student, scolding her for her behavior. "You must not let your emotions get the best of you, Mana."

"With all due respect, today is one of those days," she whispers back, but Mahad is showing no signs of backing off.

"Any personal matters that happen outside of the throne room, stays outside of the throne room."

"I'm leaving," Mana whispers back loudly before storming off with her fists clenched angrily at her sides.

Mahad places a hand on his forehead and exhales. "What has gotten into her?" he asks himself.

"What seems to be the issue?" Atem asks, witnessing their little interaction and Mahad turns around.

"I'm not quite sure myself, my king. But she is not acting herself."

"I see. Maybe I should talk to her and see what's wrong."

"Are you sure? You have enough on your plate already."

"It's alright," Atem says assuringly. "I just want to make sure she's alright."

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Mana lets out a long, deep breath as she walks in the direction of Atem's room that night. Mahad had relayed the message to her to meet him there. Maybe he's stressed out again, she says to herself. He is notorious for talking to her in the privacy of his room whenever he needed someone to vent to. She doesn't mind it though. She knows that he has taken on a such a huge role and anyway that she can help, she will do it with no hesitation at all.

She stops and looks up to the guards that always guard his room every night. They return the look as sweat trickles down the side of their heads, knowing what is about to come. Mana raises her finger, preparing to chant her trademark spell.

"Just go!" one of the guards blurts out and she and the second guard blink, looking at him with shock.

"Uh…what?" Mana asks with disbelief.

"Just be discreet and go. I hate it when you chant that spell," the guard replies in an almost whiney tone.

Stunned, Mana slowly looks to the other guard who shrugs his shoulders, looking just as confused as she is. Nevertheless, they both stand to the side and let Mana enter with no pushback. As she walks in, Atem is in the process of taking off his navy blue cape and draping it over a nearby chair.

"You wanted to see me?" she asks, bringing his attention to her and he nods, motioning toward the bed, her usual spot. She obliges and sits crossed legged on the bed and he joins her. "What's wrong?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you Mana," he replies to her surprise. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she replies.

"Telling by how you stormed off from the throne room earlier, I'd say you're not telling me the truth."

"You saw that?" He nods and she groans. She doesn't want to let him know everything that's going down between her and Teana. She can handle it herself. She would prove that she is capable of doing the job. "I'm just a little stressed, that's all. Having the added responsibility to watch over someone can be a little tough."

"Try having the responsibility of watching over multiple people," Atem says and Mana blushes, placing a hand behind her head.

"Okay, you got me there."

"But you're doing a great job."

"At least someone thinks so."

Atem frowns. He senses that she is hiding something or not telling him the whole truth. Her demeanor is much different and her eyes that are usually filled with so much life, seem cold and almost emotionless.

Mana stares down at her palms that are resting on her lap. Kisara's words of gaining closure echo throughout her head. When things ended between them, Mana quickly delved into her trainings and never quite had the opportunity to process everything. She distanced herself from Atem for awhile, though they vowed to remain friends.

She gasps when Atem unexpectedly places his hand on hers and she quickly looks up at him. He looks deeply into her eyes and squeezes her hand, as if urging her to speak whatever it is that's on her mind. And with that, she takes that as a sign to go ahead and let it out. This is her opportunity.

"Atem…"

"Yes, Mana."

"You hurt me."

He can feel his heart drop into the pit of his stomach when she says that. "I know." He never meant to. He never meant to be late to their little hang outs or ditch them altogether. Or something as serious as forgetting her birthday or not being there when she finally became Mahad's apprentice in a nice ceremony.

Tears trickle down her cheeks and drop onto Atem's hand that held hers. He quickly reaches up and cups her cheeks, wiping away her tears, not liking the sight of Mana crying. "Mana…" Clearly this has still been bothering her this whole time.

She sniffles. "You forgot my…"

"I know."

"And you never came to..."

"I know," he says once more, already knowing what she is about to say.

"We promised each other that we would always make time for each other no matter what. And even when you did have time, you didn't spend it with me. And that made me feel like I meant nothing to you. For you to not even spend your free time with me when I made time for you despite all of those long days of me studying to became Mahad's apprentice."

"I'm sorry," Atem apologizes, now grasping onto her bare shoulders. "I never meant to hurt you. And if I could do things differently, I would." He closes his eyes as she sniffles and he presses his forehead against hers. "I just had a lot going on. Then and even now. Trying to make my father proud, retain all of the teachings and lessons he has passed onto me and always feeling like I'm being watched to see if I'll make a mistake."

Mana's shoulders drop and more tears begin to flow freely down her cheeks. She never really thought to look at things from his point of view. He went through a lot to get to this point, not to mention his father's declining health when he was in the process of becoming the new pharaoh. "I'm sorry," she apologizes, raising her head to look into his eyes. "I feel so incredibly selfish."

"No. You shouldn't be."

"I never stopped to think that maybe you were going through things too. I was just concerned about my own feelings."

"As was I. I never stopped to think about how I was making you feel by missing out on our alone time and not even having the common decency of telling you." He wipes the remaining tears off her cheeks and she chuckles, the light returning to her eyes as she smiles. "You mean the world to me, Mana."

Mana raises her shoulder and pouts playfully. "Do I really?"

"Of course you do," he says with a chuckle and she gives him a light push on the shoulder.

"We really should've talked about this a long time ago," she says.

"Agreed." She giggles a little bit more, feeling relieved that they were able to talk it over. "There's my Mana," Atem says with a smirk, noticing that her mood has improved and she has returned back to her bubbly self. As she begins to trail off on other matters, Atem finds himself getting lost in her looks. She is intelligent, laid back and silly. Her many sides as well as her stunning physical appearance are but just a few things that attracted him to her. Her eyes, the way her spiky brown hair sat on her shoulders and her voice. The same voice that is currently trying to snap him out of his current trance.

"Earth to Atem!" she says, waving her hand in front of his eyes. He gently grabs her wrist to stop her waving motion and he places it into her lap. "Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" She goes cross-eyed as she tries to locate whatever she assumes to be on her face and Atem shakes his head with a smile.

A shatter from a vase and a loud shriek bring them out of their playful mode as they are immediately put on alert.

"What was that?" he asks, getting more serious and rushing over to the balcony as Mana follows.

"Be gone!" the feminine voice yells. "I'm warning you!"

"Sounds like Isis!" Mana guesses, placing her foot on the balcony, preparing to leap into action. But not before Atem stops her and pulls her back.

"You need to protect Teana," he says, running over to put on his cape.

"Aw come on. No way!" Mana whines.

"That's an order," he states firmly and he runs out of his room to the source of the screams.

"That's an order," Mana repeats in a mocking tone before running toward Teana's room while hoping that no harm has come to Isis.

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Well since I have a lot of time on my hands, updates may just get a little quicker. What do you think? I'm seeing some people favorite but no reviews *cries* *places blanket over head and cries to sleep*


	6. Chapter 6

"BE GONE!" Mahad yells, standing protectively in front of Isis. One of the hooded figures from the previous week has made its return, presumably to steal yet another Millennium Item. Vases are shattered and knocked over in Isis' room, along with a broken mirror. "I'm warning you!" He outstretches a hand and it glows a green hue as a huge force blows the figure back, hitting the opposite wall outside of her room.

Just as this is happening, Atem and the other priests have just made it to the scene. Shada runs forward and observes the hooded individual. But before he can get any closer, it suddenly disintegrates into sand to everyone's shock. "What kind of evil sorcery is this?" Shada asks.

"Are you alright?" Mahad asks, turning to a visibly shaken Isis.

She nods assuringly. "I am fine. Thank you, Mahad."

"This is getting us nowhere," Atem says, growing increasingly frustrated.

"Yet another incident and no leads," Seto says. "Just a pile of a sand is all we're left with."

Mahad walks up to the pile of sand and crouches down. "Not quite," he says. "This looks like a similar spell that I've used when training my students. And if I'm correct, I may be able to pinpoint who is doing this."

"Excellent. I'll leave it to you, Mahad," says Atem.

"Yes, my king."

"And just how long is this going to take? We can't risk having anyone else's lives in danger," Seto says with his arms folded, tapping his index finger on his arm.

"It's going to take time."

Seto huffs before storming away and the other priests soon leave as well to their respective quarters, leaving only Mahad and Atem behind. Mahad turns to Atem and bows his head. "My king, I assure you that I will get this done as quick as possible."

"I know, Mahad," Atem replies, having faith in his friend and his priest. "I have no doubt that we will finally be able to get to the bottom of this." Mahad kneels down to take a sample.

"I'm here!" Mana stumbles in and trips over her feet, but miraculously she is able to stop without falling by crouching down and holding out her arms. Mahad briefly turns around before sighing and getting back to his task. Sweat drops down Atem's head as she pops up straight, standing stiff. "What'd I miss? Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, Mana. Mahad has it all under control," Atem replies, before muttering. "Thought I asked you to keep an eye on Teana."

Mana flinches before raising her index finger to her lips to shush him. "You're gonna get me in trouble!" she whispers loudly.

"Why _aren't_ you watching Teana?" Mahad asks as he stands up with a small jar of sand in his hand.

"She's fine! She's fine!" she exclaims, flinging her wrist a few times. She quickly shoots a glare at Atem who grins mischievously. She then turns her attention back on Mahad. "I think the question is, why are you holding a jar of sand? Seriously, what did I miss?"

"One of the caped intruders came again and when I attacked, it turned into sand," Mahad explains.

"Ah…that seems like a familiar spell. So you're gonna try and trace it back to the source," Mana guesses.

"So you _do_ pay attention to my lectures. I'm impressed." Mana pouts as Atem chuckles. "I'm going to head to the magician's study." They both watch as Mahad leaves. Once he is out of sight, Mana cuts her eyes at her best friend.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Atem asks, placing a hand behind his head with a nervous grin. She walks past him, playfully shoulder bumping him and walking a few feet ahead before turning around and sticking out her tongue to which he returns the gesture.

"You have a funny way of picking on me."

"I guess you've rubbed off on me," he replies as she continues to walk away.

"I guess I did…pharaoh," she adds with a smirk to which he rolls his eyes at her calling him by his formal title.

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Teana looks at herself in the mirror, adjusting her clothes so that they lay perfectly on her curvy body and then tending to her shoulder length, brown hair. A hint of warmth hits her from the window as the sun shines brightly in the sky the next morning. She finds herself in an even worse mood than normal, frustrated at not being able to spend much time with Atem as she would have liked. Things were constantly getting in the way. But she makes it a mission to do everything that she can to spend time with him today.

She walks to the door and opens it, the frown on her face becoming even longer when she sees Mana standing at her door. "What are you doing here?" Teana mumbles.

"The usual," Mana replies. "And from last night's events, we have to be even more on alert."

"Great," Teana replies dryly, walking past her.

Mana grunts. Her mood seems to be worse than usual, she thinks to herself. A feeling of dread washes over her, knowing that Teana will probably take her frustrations out on her. But she decides to try and keep positive. For both of their sakes. Teana looks to the outer walls of the palace and grins. Maybe it would be time to put Mana's skills to the test.

"I wish I could go out into the market," Teana sighs, causing Mana to raise an eyebrow.

"By market you mean the outside market?" Mana asks.

"Well I don't see any markets in here," Teana replies. "It would be nice to get out of here and do something different."

"You know you can't do that. It's too dangerous," Mana warns and all Teana does is chuckle. "You better not be getting any ideas."

"And if I did?" Teana stops and turns to Mana whose arms are now folded.

"Look Teana. You don't like me and I don't like you," Mana says bluntly. "But unfortunately we're going to be practically stuck together for awhile until things calm down. Let's not make things harder for the both of us."

Before Teana can answer, she catches eye of Atem who is on his way to the throne room. She waves him down and he walks over to them.

"Hello Teana..." he greets before looking over at Mana. "…and Mana."

"Hello handsome," she greets back to Atem and Mana's surprise. Mana drops her shoulders and cuts her eyes behind Teana's back. This woman can't be serious.

"Is Mana treating you well?" he asks. The same expression that Mana is showing Teana is now directed at him, but he ignores her. He sure does have an odd way of playing with her, but by now she's used to it.

"Mana is great!" Teana replies before frowning. "But I don't think she likes me very much."

"What makes you think that?" Atem asks.

"Well…I just..." she sniffles, trying to make tears appear in her eyes as she flings herself in Atem's arms dramatically.

'We got an actor here,' Mana thinks to herself, blinking a few times.

"She said right from her mouth that she doesn't like me," Teana whines, managing to make a few tears trickle down her cheeks. "And she says I'm making things hard for her!"

"That's definitely not what I said," Mana interferes. "Besides…you don't like me, Teana. And I'm perfectly fine with that and you don't see me crying about it."

"Mana…" Atem places a hand on his head. She can be so blunt.

Teana pulls away and turns her head to Mana. "You know if Atem and I are to be married, you and I need to get along."

"Says who?" Mana asks, tilting her head.

"Mana," Atem mumbles more sternly.

"Can we promise each other that we won't bicker anymore?" Teana asks, wiping away her tears.

Mana dims her eyes. "Uh-huh…"

"I'll leave you two to it then," Atem says, walking past them. He stops and turns to his friend. "Be nice, Mana." He flashes a smirk and Mana rolls her eyes as a smile creeps across her lips. But she quickly tries to keep a straight face when Teana glances at her suspiciously.

'What was that all about?' Teana asks herself, seeing that quick interaction between the pharaoh and magician. She witnesses Mana look in a a bit of a daze as Atem walks away and she narrows her eyes. 'I need to keep my eye on her…'

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Kisara leans back on the table in the large pantry and sighs with relief. All of her tasks are finally done for the day and she can finally turn in for the night. All she wants to do at this point is rest. Hearing quick footsteps from the hallway, she groans lightly. Hopefully it's no one that will request anything else from her today. Luckily, her dread is turned into relief when Seto turns the corner. He is cautious before he walks in, looking from left to right and Kisara giggles.

"She's not here," she tells him, knowing that he is looking out for Mana and her tendency to interrupt their alone time. A smile creeps on his lips as he approaches her and wraps his arms around her. She buries her face into his chest, inhaling his scent, feeling safe within his arms. "I feel like I haven't seen you for awhile, Seto."

"Forgive me. With everything going on, it's has me a lot busier than usual," he replies as she lifts her head to look him in the eyes.

"Do you guys have any idea as to who it could be?"

He shakes his head. "Whoever it is will pay dearly for their crimes." He strokes the hair out of her face and cups her cheek. "But enough about that." He leans down to capture her lips and he hears her draw in a breath as he kisses her deeply.

"Seto…" Before she can say any more, his hand move further down to her waist. He notices that she isn't returning the kiss and he pulls away.

"What's wrong?" he asks. She clears her throat and slowly lifts her index finger to point behind him. He cringes and inhales deeply before whipping around. Atem stands with his arms folded looking quite unimpressed and unsurprised that he has caught them once again. Mana pops up from behind him with an amused expression and she leans on Atem's shoulders with both of her arms with a smile.

Atem's glances at Seto and then to the blue haired woman standing behind him. "Kisara," he greets with a slight nod.

"Pharaoh," she says back, bowing her head briefly.

He looks to Seto. "I need you in the throne room at once."

"This late?" Seto asks with surprise.

"Yes. We may have gotten a lead on this mystery."

"Very well." He quickly walks out, not wanting to make the moment anymore awkward than it already is. Mana stands up straight to allow Atem to leave as well and watches as they both walk down the hall.

Atem chuckles lowly as he and his cousin walk side by side and Seto looks at him from the side of his eye. "Something amusing to you?"

"You really should find another place for your displays of affection," he replies with a smirk.

"You really oughta find another place for eating each other's faces," Mana replies as she sits on the table alongside Kisara who blushes. "Seriously. If you need any ideas, just let me know! I have a ton of hiding spots!"

"I'm sure you do with all of the sneaking around you and the pharaoh used to…and continue to do," Kisara says with an innocent smile as Mana dims her eyes at her.

"We don't sneak around…anymore," Mana mutters the last word.

"I beg to differ. Why is he always telling me to have you come to his quarters then, hm?"

"To talk! I help relieve his stress!"

Kisara snorts as she tries to contain her laughter. "Yeah, you relieve his stress alright."

Unbeknownst to them, Teana overhears their conversation from outside, standing near the window of the pantry. Her blood is boiling and her body is shaking with anger. There is no way that she is letting a lowlife magician steal her future husband and ruin any chance of her becoming queen. 'I need to find out a way to remove her from the picture.' She looks to a portion of the palace walls that isn't heavily guarded. There is a tall nearby tree that she can use to easily climb over the wall without being caught.

"Did you two ever talk it over?" Kisara asks.

Mana nods. "Yeah. We finally have some closure. He said I mean the world to him. Even now."

"And how do you feel?"

"Well of course I feel the same. He's my best friend!"

"Best friend?"

"Look Kisara. Any chance I have with Atem is gone and I've accepted that. It was his father's wish for him to marry Teana and that's that. There's no way he's gonna change his mind."

Kisara shrugs. "I say keep hope alive."

Mana's ears perk up and she turns to the window, raising an eyebrow. Kisara stays silent, trying to focus on whatever Mana might be hearing and she tilts her head. It appears to be the sound of leaves ruffling. But that isn't out of the norm. It is slightly windy outside. Mana hops off the table and walks up to the window with Kisara following behind her. They study the tree, watching as the leaves blow through the wind.

"Hm…" Mana squints her eyes and sees a feminine figure climbing through, grasping on the branches to get higher and higher. "Is that…?

"Teana?" Kisara finishes, looking on in shock. "What is she doing?"

Mana slaps her forehead. "She's trying to get out." She hops out the window and Kisara does the same as they try to rush to the tree in time before Teana can get over. But they are too late. "Darn it, this isn't good."

"What are you gonna do?"

Mana sighs. "I gotta go get her."

"Well I'm not letting you go alone."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! It's dangerous out there."

Mana smiles. "Thanks Kisara. Now let's go before she gets into any trouble." Mana grunts as she starts to climb the tree, keeping an eye out on any guards that may be looking their way. Teana really knows how to make her life miserable.

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	7. Chapter 7

Kisara and Mana hop down from over the wall after managing to climb over it with the help of a nearby tree. They then quickly hide behind some nearby bushes to conceal themselves from the soldiers guarding the outside of the palace. On Kisara's signal, they finally make a run for it, heading into the nearby village. Things are a lot different on the other side. At a time where things would normally be quiet and calm in the palace, the villagers are out and about, shopping away for food and garments as well as gambling and dancing to the music that is being played by a group of musicians nearby.

Mana can't help but feel fascinated. It is like they have been transported to a totally different world. It's not everyday that she is able to come out here. It would only happen in passing when she is on her way to the magician's training grounds. On the flip side, this all seems very familiar to Kisara. Her life used to be out here, surviving day by day. That is until she found Seto.

"Where could she have run off to?" Kisara asks as they walk through the marketplace, surrounded by tents on both sides.

"She couldn't have gotten far. We just need to hurry and get her back before anyone finds out."

Teana walks by a merchant selling different colored liquids in a bottle. The colors range from red, purple, green and orange and each are labeled as to what they are. A potion for sleeping, another one that claims to help people maintain their youth, a potion to help someone disappear and lastly something labeled as a "heart potion." That one in particular really catches her eye as she studies it.

"What does this one do?" Teana asks the merchant.

The merchant notices the amount of jewelry that Teana is wearing and smirks. "What's someone like you doing outside of the palace?"

"None of your business," she replies, picking up the red potion in her hand. "I'll be taking this one." She begins to walk away but stops when a hooded figure with glowing eyes blocks her path.

"And where do you think you're going?" the merchant asks. "You didn't think I was going to give you that for free, did you?"

Ignoring the merchant, Teana tries to get past the mysterious figure, but her wrist is suddenly grabbed as the hooded person studies the jewelry on her. "I think this jewelry will do just fine, eh boss?"

"Let go of me this instant!"

Mana groans loudly with frustration. Minutes have gone by and still no sign of Teana. She plays a few scenarios in her head. If Teana is gone, at least she won't have to deal with her smart mouth, right? But then again, she knows she will get into a lot of trouble if anything were to happen to her. Not to mention she would be letting her master and Atem down.

As they continue their search, a slim muscular man only wearing a skirt that reaches his knees catches eye of the two women. He smirks and quickly makes his way over to them, standing in their way.

"Uh…excuse me sir, but we need to get through," Kisara says. She looks him up and down, taking notice of his brown, chiseled chest and abs. He has gray hair in a downward position and purple eyes. Kisara uses her blue hair to hide the blush on her cheeks and she looks over to Mana who is still looking elsewhere to find Teana. Kisara nudges Mana on the arm to get her attention.

"Yeah? What is—?" She trails off, also taking in his perfect features.

"Are you ladies from around here?" the man asks and they slowly shake their heads, still in a daze.

"Let go of me!" Teana yells from afar, causing Mana to slightly snap out of her trance and look around.

"Hey, was that…?" She edges forward toward the source of her voice.

"Why don't you stay awhile," the grey haired figure says, capturing Mana's attention once more.

'What's wrong with me?' Mana asks, as she looks into the man's eyes. 'It's almost as if he's got me under his spell."

"HELP!"

Mana shakes her head and then bumps Kisara with her elbow who blinks a few times. "Come on! Teana needs us!" Kisara nods and runs after Mana as the man watches them with a grin.

The hooded figure holds Teana captive, restraining her arms as the merchant takes the earrings out of her ear. "These shall do nicely."

"Let her go!" Mana yells, whipping out her wand. She gasps when she sees the hooded figure. It is similar to the ones that have invaded the palace.

"Stay out of this!" the merchant snaps. "She has something of mine."

"What do you mean?" Kisara asks.

Mana looks down at the bottle that is in the pocket of Teana's dress. She blinks a few times before coming to a conclusion. "Teana, did you steal that?" she asks with disbelief.

"She's a thief and needs to punished!" the merchant exclaims.

Mana slaps her forehead and Kisara sighs heavily. "I can't believe you stole from this man. I guess you deserve to be punished," Mana says turning away and making her wand disappear. "Let's go, Kisara."

"You can't leave me here! Help me!"

"Maybe next time you'll think twice than to go places where you're not supposed to go or taking things that don't belong to you."

"You're really not gonna leave her, are you?" Kisara whispers.

Mana drops her shoulders and groans. "I guess not." She turns her head and motions her finger at the jewelry belonging to Teana that the merchant is holding. The golden earring glows to the merchant's surprise and it magically turns into a rock. He growls and tightens his grasp on Teana. Mana turns all the way around and grins. "Look, how about she just return what she stole and we'll go about our way? Sound like a plan? Yes? Great!"

"Wrong. She stole something from me and she must pay."

"Okay, let me think about this," Mana says, placing her index finger up to her temple. "Freeze!" A blue aura appears around the merchant and the hooded figure and she quickly uses this time to run over and rip Teana away from his grasp. She snatches the potion she stole and puts it back on the merchant's table .Then they all try and make a run for it. They run past the gray haired man who looks back at the two frozen figures and his purple eyes begin to glow.

"Run faster Teana!" Mana yells as Teana trails behind her and Kisara.

"Dont boss me around!"

"Maybe we really should've left her back there," Kisara mutters with a slight chuckle.

Surprisingly to them, the hooded figure they had left behind, suddenly appears in front of them, wielding a sword. It's glowing eyes are set on Teana as it lifts it into the air. "Watch out!" Mana yells, pushing her out of the way. As Teana lands on the ground, Mana can feel her eyes water up at she feels the sharp object slash into part of her shoulder, causing blood to shoot out.

"Mana!" Kisara yells as her friend lets out a loud cry and drops to her knees. Anger fills Kisara as she sees her friend seriously hurt. A huge amount of energy begins to build inside of her. She narrows her eyes at the mysterious hooded person and a blue aura begins to appear around her.

Mana hisses and grimaces as she clenches her arm in attempt to stop the blood from flowing as Teana looks on helplessly. Mana slowly looks up, feeling a strong presence of energy and she gasps when she Kisara's eyes glowing blue, signaling one thing. She knows that her friend is very capable of a lot of things, including summoning a very powerful and legendary monster that normally results in her losing consciousness. She looks around to all of the spectators and sweat begins to form on her forehead. She can't possibly have all these people witness what Kisara is capable of. It could put her in a lot of danger.

"K-Kisara…" Mana says weakly but loud enough for her friend to hear. She can feel herself getting lightheaded from all the blood she is losing.

"I can't hold it in any longer," Kisara says as the ground begins to rumble.

A loud roar sounds through the air and the priests and Atem all stop what they're doing in the throne room. Seto's mouth goes agape, knowing that sound all too well. Atem notices the expression on his cousin's face and begins to suspect something is wrong.

"Excuse me," Seto says before quickly walking out of the throne room, trying to keep his composure and not lead anyone to think that something is amiss. But Atem knows all too well.

"Seto?" Shimon asks, raising an eyebrow.

"What's gotten into him?" Shada asks.

"We'll continue this meeting first thing tomorrow," Atem says to their surprise and he gets up from his throne, following behind his cousin. He quickens up his pace to keep up with him. "What is it, Seto?"

Seto stays silent. Millions of things are running through his head at the moment as he worries about Kisara. It has been years since he has had heard that roar. He knows she must be in some sort of distress for her to release the Blue Eyes White Dragon. They head over to Kisara's quarters and Seto places his palm on the door, taking a deep breath. He turns his head to Atem who only nods and he takes that as a sign to open the door. His hand slides down to the handle and he slowly opens the door, not knowing what he is going to see on the other side. His heart begins to pound as more of the dark room is revealed. As he scans the room, there is no sign of her being there at all.

"Oh no…" Seto says, closing the door and turning to Atem.

"Let's not panic. She's got to be around here somewhere," Atem says reassuringly. Before Seto can say anything, they hear the sound of women bickering outside. "Sounds like it's coming from the courtyard."

"Ugh!" Teana exclaims in disgust. "You got blood all over my good dress!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Mana yells in disbelief. Kisara lays on the ground nearby after they managed to drag her there and sneaking past the guards again. Miraculously they were able to make it away and back to the palace in almost one piece. Right before Kisara summonsed her monster, Mana had gathered all her strength to cast an enormous freeze spell on all the spectators except the hooded person. The enormous Blue Eyes White Dragon appeared in a great light and in one swoop, blasted their enemy away with ease. Kisara passed out shortly after.

"None of this would've happened if you would have just stayed inside the palace walls!" Mana scolds her. "And then you had the nerve to steal?!"

"What is the meaning of this?" comes a nearby voice and they both turn to see Mahad walking up to them. He gasps when he sees the pool of blood underneath Mana as her shoulder bleeds. And close by lies Kisara, lying unconscious. As he runs up to the scene, Seto and Atem get there at the same time as him and are just as horrified.

Seto's heart drops when he sees Kisara and he immediately runs over. "Kisara!" He kneels down and raises her into his arms.

"Mana!" Atem yells, seeing as she clutches to her shoulder for dear life. Her normally vibrant skin is turning pale, her eyes are heavy and her legs are shaking as tries to hold herself up.

"What happened?" Mahad asks as he attempts to observe Mana's wound but she backs away, keeping her narrowed eyes at Teana.

"You put lives in danger tonight and I doubt you even care!" Mana yells stepping up to Teana. She grimaces, feeling pain shoot through her body. She can feel her strength fading, but she is determined to give Teana a piece of her mind. "All you care about is yourself!"

"Mana, that's enough," Mahad says. "You need medical attention immediately."

Seto brings Kisara close to his chest and she blinks a few times, looking up at him. "Seto…" she says weakly.

"Are you alright?" he asks her worriedly.

"You will not talk to me like that!" Teana yells back at Mana. "Who do you think you are?! You better show me some respect!"

"I show respect where respect is due and Teana, you deserve none of it!"

"That's enough you two!" Atem exclaims. He can see the rage in Mana's eyes, but his main priority is to get her help. She seems to be so blinded by her anger that she doesn't realize how much danger she's in right now. But in true Mana fashion, she is going to get the last word.

"Kisara and I put our lives on the line for you and you can't even bring yourself to say thank you or show any concern! You are a selfish, sad excuse of a human being and—" Mana coughs up blood and collapses to the side. Teana watches as Atem and Mahad run over to her, trying to tend to her wounds.

Atem calls out to a nearby guard so they can carry her off to be cared for. Seeing the concern for Mana in his eyes angers her. He should be worried about her, not Mana. She is his future wife. But he has barely even looked at her or asked if she is alright.

"Hang in there, Mana," Atem says as he strokes her bangs out of her face. The wound looks deep and he is surprised that she was able to stay conscious for that long while losing a lot of blood. He looks up and doesn't expect Teana to be gone, but it appears she has left the scene. Questions arise as to what exactly happened and if what Mana said is true, why did Teana feel the need to sneak outside of the palace?

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Her aquamarine eyes slowly blink open, but quickly go shut when she is blinded by the sun. She goes to lift her hand to shield her eyes from the light and screams from the excruciating pain. She looks over and sees her shoulder wrapped up with white bandages and a bit of dry blood shows through. Sighing heavily, she places her hand on her face, remembering last night's events.

"Mana," Atem calls out, hearing her scream a moment ago and he stops at the doorway. She doesn't move, but he can see her chest move up and down. He approaches her beside and looks down at her, her hand still covering her face, only partially revealing one closed eye. "How are you feeling?"

Without removing her hand, she peers at him through her fingertips.

"Nevermind," he says, receiving his answer from her facial expression alone. "I guess my question should be is…what happened?"

"Before I answer that, is Kisara okay?"

"Yes, she's fine. She's currently resting."

Mana sighs in relief.

"Now, tell me what happened?"

She moves her hand and places it at her side. Seeing that she is trying to sit up, Atem slides a hand under her back and helps her into a sitting position. "Long story short, Kisara and I caught Teana sneaking out of the palace so we followed her. Things probably would not have been so bad if she hadn't stolen from one of the local merchants."

Atem's eyes go wide. "She what?"

Mana shakes her head. "That's when I caught eye of one of those hooded guys. The same ones that have invaded the palace in the past. They seem to just be roaming outside the palace walls freely," Mana tells him. "Anyway, they slashed my shoulder, Kisara went ballistic, I did a massive freeze spell so no one would witness her monster and now here we are."

"I need to tell Mahad and the others," Atem says folding his arms. "Our enemy may be closer than we thought."

"And Teana?"

Atem sighs. "I'm not sure. What she did is unacceptable."

"Do you want my honest opinion?"

"Not really," he replies, already knowing what she's about to say.

"Fine. I'll spare you. For now," Mana says with a pout. Her lips slowly turn into a frown and she turns her head.

"What? What is it?" Atem asks, noticing the sudden change.

"I let Mahad and you down," she replies. "She should have never been able to get that far."

"Don't be so hard on yourself Mana. Regardless of what happened, you sprung into action to get Teana back here safely."

She looks at him. "Just so you know, just because I'm injured doesn't mean I'm giving up the role. Once I'm up and going, I will resume my duty." She is determined to prove to him and Mahad that she is fully capable of the task that has been handed down to her.

Atem smirks. "I wouldn't expect anything less, Mana. Now please, get some rest."

After closing the door behind him, he leans on it and looks down with thought. As much as he tries to hold his composure, seeing Mana hurt like that really bothered him. Regardless of her feelings toward Teana, Mana still put her life on the line for her. Her selflessness is something that always drew him to her, among other things. Although carefree, Mana is always looking out for the safety of others. Not to mention she is strong and beautiful with a funny personality.

Teana is the exact opposite. She seems to be selfish, rude and only thinking of herself. Qualities that would make her unfit to be his wife and the queen. But his father's wish forever lingers in his mind. He does not wish to disappoint him.

Hearing footsteps, he lifts his head and sees none other than Teana.

"You look stressed, my love," she says.

"Why did you sneak out of the palace last night?" he asks.

"I was starting to get claustrophobic staying in the palace. I needed to get out," she says with a shrug.

"Do you realize how much danger you've put yourself in? If it weren't for Mana and Kisara, who knows what would have happened to you."

"Well maybe if you spent more time with me and focused on planning our wedding, maybe I'd be too occupied to go anywhere!" she snaps back.

"Do you understand what's going on here, Teana? One of my priests is dead and we've had another attack recently. The wedding is the last thing on my mind."

"Clearly!" she yells before storming off.

Atem shakes his head. "I would normally never question my father…but…she is unbelievable..." To think this is the woman he is supposed to spend the rest of his life with.

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	8. Chapter 8

A few days later—

Atem walks out to the balcony after a meeting with his priests about their next moves. They have sent a few of the soldiers out into the villages to see if they can find any sign of those hooded figures. But there were two different outcomes each time. Either they would get away or they would turn into sand before they could bring them back to the palace. Atem knows how important it is to find the source of these hooded figures, but they keep coming up empty handed.

He looks down and sees two familiar people sparring in the courtyard. Mana dashes at Odion holding her wand, letting out a battle cry as she prepares to attack and he puts up his guard. Her shoulder is still wrapped up, but she is in better shape than the day her incident happened. She dodges a magical blast from Odion with ease and returns the favor by using her wand to blow him back a few feet.

"Don't hold back, Odion!" she yells as she puts her guard up.

Odion grimaces and smirks. "Very well then." He tries to land a combination of punches, kicks and magical abilities and they seem to be evenly matched. They can't help but grin at each other from the rush that comes with sparring and pushing each other to their limits. Mana jumps back and takes a few deep breaths. Feeling eyes on her she looks back and sees Atem standing at the balcony, observing them. How long has he been up there, she asks herself.

"You let your guard down!" Odion yells, launching a blast at her, causing her to get blown back and hit a nearby pillar with so much force that it nearly takes her breath away. She cries out and holds her shoulder and Odion grits his teeth nervously. Perhaps he has taken it a bit too far.

"Mana!" Atem exclaims with worry. Darn her for being so determined to get back out there so quickly. She is going to end right back in bed if she isn't careful. He rushes down the stairs and into the courtyard to help, but stops short when he sees Odion picking her up into his arms and she looks up at him with a smile. His heart begins to race as he sees her in the arms of someone else and seeing the way they look at each other. He shuts his eyes and shakes those thoughts out of his head.

'Get a hold of yourself,' he thinks to himself. But the feelings of jealousy continue to linger and warp reality. He watches as Odion helps her up and they exchange a few words. She giggles and lightly pushes him on the shoulder. What could they possibly be talking about?

He is so lost in his thoughts that he doesn't realize that Kisara is standing beside him, looking at him with concern as he holds onto his chest, feeling like his heart is about to burst. "Pharaoh?"

He gasps lightly and looks over at her. "Kisara. You startled me."

"Are you alright?"

He looks back at the interaction between Mana and Odion and Kisara follows his gaze. "I'm fine."

"I'm not the type to butt in, but it seems like you still have feelings for her," Kisara guesses and he stays silent. Of course he does. He's made that no secret. But he isn't sure if Mana still feels the same. He knows that she still has love for him, but is unsure if she will ever love him in 'that way' again.

"It doesn't matter. She's moved on," Atem assumes, continuing to view the two joke around. Kisara blinks a few times before chuckling lightly to Atem's confusion. "What?"

"You think Mana likes Odion?" she giggles.

"Well…I uh…She…Look at them," he finally manages to say.

Kisara can't help but feel a little amused seeing the great and powerful pharaoh being flustered over such matters. He is like a teenager all over again, trying to build up the confidence to express his feelings to a girl he loves.

After her conversation with Odion is better, Mana runs over to Atem and Kisara, holding onto her shoulder. "Hey guys!" she greets cheerfully.

Atem looks down to her shoulder. Part of her bruised skin is exposed, but she doesn't seem to be bothered by it. "Mana, you need to rest," he suggests.

"Yeah, you are really need to take it easy," Kisara agrees. "You're never gonna be in tip top shape if you don't rest."

"Ah well, you know me! I can't stand still for a moment," Mana says flinging her hand before grimacing.

Kisara slaps her forehead. "You're so stubborn."

"You overly exerted yourself too, Kisara," Mana pouts. "You should be resting as well!"

"Except I didn't get slashed in the arm," Kisara points out, causing Mana to roll her eyes.

"To your room. Now. That's an order," Atem commands, taking her by the hand as Kisara giggles and Mana protests.

"I'm fine, Atem. Really!" she insists, but Atem isn't buying it.

At a distance, Teana peeks from behind a pillar and narrows her eyes at the sight of them holding hands.

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Mana sighs when they finally make it up to her room. She looks behind her to see Atem still standing there at the doorway, as if he's waiting to make sure that she will actually get into bed. "Seriously?" she asks.

"Yes, seriously," he says walking in, motioning her to lay down. She only partially obeys his request and instead of laying down, she sits crossed legged on the bed.

"You really are stubborn," he says, sitting down next to her and she smiles innocently.

"And you're not?"

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head before sighing heavily. Mana tilts her head, waiting for him to say whatever is on his mind. "I don't think I should go through with marrying Teana. She possesses none of the qualities that would make her a suitable wife or queen."

Mana rolls her neck sassily while poking out her lip in a gesture that screams 'I told you so,' and Atem turns his head.

"Fine. Let me have it," he mutters.

Mana sighs. "I'm not gonna let you have it. But I just want you to be happy. That's all I want. And I just think Teana isn't good for you," she says before chuckling to herself. "I probably sound like a bitter girl that's upset that you could potentially be with someone else."

"No," Atem says turning his head to look at her. "I know you're coming from a good place."

"So now what?" Mana asks with a frown.

"I'm just going to have to tell her the truth."

"Eesh…you make it sound so simple."

"Isn't it?" he asks, oblivious to the fact that this really could go wrong.

"No! I don't think she'll be very receptive to the news at all!" She shuffles on the bed so that her whole body is facing him and he does the same. "Let's role play. I'm Teana. Go."

"Okay…" He clears his throat before jumping into character. "Uh…Teana, I don't think this is going to work out."

"Huh? What do you mean…_this_?" Mana asks, mimicking Teana's voice.

"I mean that I don't think we should get married."

"Are you kidding me?! I am the most perfect woman in the universe! I will make the absolute best queen and wife!"

"I'm sorry. But I can see that this is not going to be a great fit."

Mana materializes a small vase in her hand and throws it, shattering it against the wall. Atem flinches and blinks a few times as sweat trickles down the side of his face. Mana is really taking this role play seriously. "You dare break up with me?! I will make you pay!"

"Okay, okay. You've made your point Mana," he says.

She makes another vase appear and she lifts it over her head with a blank stare. "Do I need to throw another vase?"

"No, that won't be necessary," he replies, quickly taking it out of her hand.

"So do you think you're ready for that talk?"

Atem groans and holds his head. With how Mana is putting it, maybe breaking off the wedding won't be so simple after all. Besides, he would be breaking someone's heart in the process, regardless of his feelings toward her. "Why does everything that comes with being a pharaoh have to be so hard? Even relationships."

"I guess it just comes with the territory. But you'll figure it out."

"Gee, thanks," he responds sarcastically before burying his head into the palms of his hands and sighing.

"Atem," Mana says with a frown, sensing that he is getting overwhelmed. She hops up from the bed and stands in front of him as he sits with his head low and his feet flat on the floor. She carefully wraps her arms around his neck so that she does not strain her shoulder and she brings him close to her. He drops his hands, closes his eyes and rests his head on her bare collarbone, immediately feeling relief. She runs her fingers his spiky hair and she can feel his body relax as he exhales softly.

He inhales her sweet scent and the tension that he once felt in his head starts to fade away. She always knows how to make him feel better and keep him calm. Just the simple gesture of holding him in her arms did so much. They stay like that in silence. Mana continues to stroke his hair, slightly finding it amusing that it always springs back into place no matter how much she strokes it. He missed these moments of closeness with her and if he could, he would stay like that forever.

A part of him wonders if she feels the same. He has always been very vocal about his feelings for her. Mana on the other hand has been mostly silent, if not evasive about her feelings.

He lifts his head to look her directly in the eyes. "Mana." He doesn't want to wonder and guess anymore. He has to know.

"Yes?" She stops playing in his hair and rests her hands on his shoulders.

He now has her full attention, but the words just wouldn't come, no matter how much he tries to force them out. Instead, he says something totally different than what he is originally intending to say. "Thank you."

"Huh?"

"Thank you for everything." He leans his head back down on her, beating himself up internally and she raises an eyebrow in confusion. He is a great an alright pharaoh and can't seem to express himself the woman he loves.

Mana giggles. "You're so weird," she jokes and all he can do is groan.

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After making sure that Mana is okay, Atem walks down the hall with his eyes lowered in deep thought. He thinks back to their conversation regarding Teana. Although it may be hard, he is going to have to tell her the truth. He wonders how she will react. Will she be calm about it? Or will it be similar to Mana's portrayal of her.

"Hello Atem," greets Teana and Atem quickly stops in his tracks and looks up with surprise. There she is, standing in front of him. She wears a long dress that hugs each and every feminine curve, shiny gold jewelry on her wrists, arms and earlobes and her blue eyes are calm as she gazes at him. She truly is a beautiful woman. But her beauty only appears to be external.

"T-Teana. I didn't notice you there." Sweat drops down the side of his face and he gulps.

"I wanted to speak with you."

"As do I." But what does she have to speak to him about? What could it possibly be? "You first."

"Very well," she says with a nod. Her calm expression soon turns to regret and she clasps her hands together. "I truly am sorry for my behavior a few days ago," she apologizes to his surprise. "What I did was truly unacceptable."

"Teana…" He doesn't know what to say. He can't believe that she actually took it upon herself to apologize. But is it sincere?

"I feel awful about what happened to Mana and Kisara. Are they alright?"

He blinks in confusion. Where is this side of Teana coming from? "They're doing fine."

"Oh thank Ra," she says with relief, placing a hand on her chest. Atem raises an eyebrow. This is a side of her he's never seen before. He has always known her to be selfish, only caring about the well being of herself. But now she is showing quite the opposite. Was he wrong about her this whole time?

"Now what did you want to speak to me about?" she asks, bringing him back to the present.

"I uh…" He rubs the back of his head. He knows exactly why he wants to speak with her. But this different side of her has totally thrown him off.

"I hope what has occurred hasn't made you reconsider the wedding," she says, her eyes lowering.

"Not at all!" he blurts out, immediately regretting saying that. But she looked so sad. He had to say something to bring her out of her dull mood. She looks up at him and smiles, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.

"Oh good!" she exclaims. "I'm going to go check on Mana and see if she's okay."

He places a hand up to his cheek as she walks away, not really registering what she just said. Where is this all coming from? It seems she has done a total 360. But why the sudden change? Maybe she has a feeling that she is losing him and is now trying to make an effort to change all of that. Before he talked to her, he was so sure that he would call the whole thing off. But this change in personality is something he didn't expect. Could she make a suitable queen after all?

_"__I'm going to go check on Mana…"_

His eyes widen with realization.

Mana.

Mana sits up in bed and rubs her eyes. She is just about to take a nap when a knock comes from the door. "Come in," she says. A gasp escapes her lips when she sees that it is Teana who is the source of the knocking. "What are you doing here?" Mana asks, arching an eyebrow.

Teana closes the door behind her and smiles innocently. "I just came to check on you, that's all."

Mana folds her arms, not buying it at all. "No, seriously."

"It's true! And I also wanted to apologize…"

Mana tilts her head to the side. She's actually going to apologize for reckless behavior from the other night? She's never known Teana to apologize for anything or to admit when she's wrong. "You're…apologizing?"

"Why yes," she says before grinning. "Sorry that the wedding will still go as planned, unfortunately for you."

Mana narrows her eyes. "You sure about that?"

"Of course. I heard it straight from Atem's mouth."

"I honestly don't believe you."

"Well you don't have to. Just know that we've talked and he told me that he is not calling it off."

Mana feels so confused and her eyes lower as she thinks back to their conversation. She and Atem literally just talked about him calling the wedding off with Teana. He was so sure about it when he left her room. What caused him to have a change of heart all of a sudden?

"Don't look so down. I know you have feelings for him. But he's destined to be with me."

Mana smirks. "Not at all," she bluffs. "That ship has sailed. A long time ago."

Teana returns the look. "Oh really? You don't say."

"Congratulations Teana. I'm sure you'll make a suitable queen and wife."

Teana flicks her hair and turns to the door. "I'm glad you think so."

The door closes and Mana grips her bedsheets as her heart begins to pound. So that's it. If what Teana is saying is true, then they are getting married. She shakes her head. "You shouldn't be feeling like this, Mana," she says to herself, trying to fight off her emotions. "He's truly moved on…"

She takes in a deep breath as a few tears drop on the back of her hand. It's her own fault for getting her hopes up, regardless of knowing of the arrangement that is made for Atem.

_"__You mean the world to me,"_ she remembers him saying one night. A night in which he, as always, confided in her and the subject of their past relationship had come up.

"I should've said it back…" she says, her body beginning to shake. "Maybe then it would've been more clear to him…"

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My apologies for the long update! Hope you enjoyed! Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

Night has fallen and the palace is once again silent. A man with gray hair stands outside of the palace walls with a smirk on his face. "It's taken too long for my minions to retrieve the Millennium Items," he says to himself. "Time to take matters into my own hands."

Kisara sleeps soundly, snuggling her pillow with a smile on her lips. Her days can be so long and tiresome sometimes and the constant work can wreck havoc on her body, causing aches and pains. But her moments in dreamland doesn't last long when her ears pick up a sound in her room. She groans lightly and sits up, rubbing her eyes. She notices that her door is open when normally she would have it closed.

Placing her feet on the cold floor, she gets up and looks out the door. First she looks to the left and sees nothing but the dark hallway. Then she looks to the right. Nothing.

"Strange…" she says to herself before closing the door and turning around.

"Hey," Mana says with a grin and she yelps, causing Mana to flinch.

"What are you doing here?" Kisara whispers loudly, holding on to her pounding chest. How in the world did she get into her room with her noticing it?

"Couldn't sleep. Is this a bad time?"

Kisara looks at her with disbelief. "Oh no. Not at all. It's only late into the evening…" Mana frowns and lowers her head and Kisara looks at her questionably. "Okay, what's wrong?"

Mana drops down to the floor with her legs crossed and Kisara joins her. "I feel like I've lost Atem forever."

"Huh? What makes you say that? Did something happen recently?"

"Long story short, Atem was telling me that he doesn't think he can go through with the arranged marriage and how he intends on telling Teana that…"

Kisara nods. "Okay. That's good, right?"

Mana shakes her head. "So just as I was about to take a nap, Teana comes into my room and tells me that Atem actually wants to marry her still."

"Wait, what?"

"Exactly." Mana sighs heavily and place a hand on her head. "I'm so confused."

"Now wait a minute. How do you know Teana is telling the truth? She could be lying."

"Maybe…but what if she isn't?"

Kisara crosses her arms and tilts her head. "You really do still have feelings for him, don't you?" Mana nods slowly. "So just tell him. Tell him how you feel!"

"I don't know…I guess I'm just scared…"

"Of what?"

"That he'll hurt me again…What if we do try to be together again and it turns out the same?" Mana asks, looking up at Kisara worriedly. "He's a big and powerful pharaoh now and that comes with so many responsibilities. And I'm training to become a powerful sorcerer. I just don't know if it'll work between us."

"Mana…you two have grown so much since the last time you were together. I honestly doubt that will happen," Kisara assures her, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Listen to me. As if it isn't already obvious, Atem loves you. He really does."

"I don't know…"

"Just trust me," Kisara says with a smile. "And I would take whatever Teana says with a grain of salt." Mana smiles and chuckles. She is thankful that Kisara is her best friend. Talking with her has really eased her emotions and calmed her down.

They suddenly hear the sound of a vase shattering and they both scramble to their feet. Quietly opening the door, they peek their heads out and see the shattered vase on the floor. Kisara and Mana both exchange looks before cautiously walking out into the hall.

Meanwhile, Mahad's sits in the magician's study, observing the sand that he has in a glass jar from the other night. He has cast many spells to see if it will give him any traces of who it originates from and he has finally made a lot of progress. The sand in the glass jar glows a purple color and he picks up the glass. He takes it over to a blank scroll and scatters the sand on it. On it's own, the sand begins to move, forming into different shapes until it takes the form of different forms of hieroglyphics.

Mahad narrows his eyes, waiting to see what will come about after it's done. Finally it stops and he gasps in realization. "Not good…" He drops the glass that he is holding in his hand and takes a few steps back. "I should have known. There aren't many other powerful sorcerers out there." He backs into a wall and grits his teeth. "The only magicians that are up there in strength are Mana, Odion and myself. And then…there's Marik…"

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In the hallway, Mana and Kisara hear footsteps and they quickly hide behind a nearby vase, huddling close together. The sound of someone walking gets closer and closer until it feels like they're right on top of them. Mana and Kisara slowly look up and gasp when they see a somewhat unfamiliar face. They stand up and jump back simultaneously to give themselves room between them and the intruder.

Kisara looks at the intruder closely. The purple eyes, grey hair and toned arms seem very familiar. "Hey," she whispers over to Mana. "Where have we seen him before?"

Mana takes a moment to think, studying the man's features. That's when it comes to her. "That's the guy from the marketplace," she remembers before muttering to Kisara. "The guy that had us in a trance over his good lucks."

Kisara tries to hide the blush on her face as she normally does, using her long blue hair. "Oh geez, you're right."

"Who are you and how'd you get in here?" Mana asks him.

Kisara glances down when she sees two shiny objects hanging out of his pocket. They greatly resemble the Millennium Key and the Millennium Necklace. How did he manage to get those? "A thief has no place in the kingdom. I suggest you return those items at once."

"You should be happy these items are the only things I took," the man says. "I could have taken much more."

"How did you even get your hands on it? I know Shada and Isis wouldn't have let you have them without a fight!" Mana exclaims, balling her fist.

The man snickers. "It's simple really. I was tired of my henchmen failing at most of their attempts of stealing the rest of the items. So I decided to take matters into my own hands," he explains.

"How, exactly?"

"I can warp people's realities and cause illusions and hallucinations." He grins and his purple eyes begin to glow.

"That could explain why were drooling over him when we saw him," Mana mutters to Kisara, dimming her eyes.

Kisara scoffs, turning up her lip. "Sicko. You won't get away with this."

"Oh, but I will. And you two are going to be my distraction."

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"Pharaoh!" Shimon yells, barging into his room. Atem quickly sits up, startled by his advisor's sudden appearance in his room.

"Shimon, what is the meaning of this?" Atem asks, getting out of bed, only wearing his skirt.

"Two more Millennium Items have been stolen! And Isis and Shada were found in a trance-like state!"

"What?!"

"Aknadin is tending to them now, but—"

A large bang rumbles the whole palace, almost knocking them off balance. Both of their heads whip over to the balcony and they rush over to see what is the cause of the commotion. In the courtyard, there are two different colored auras clashing—a blue one and a pink one. But they cannot see the source of those two auras.

"What is that?" Shimon asks.

Before they can guess even further, Seto is the next one to run into Atem's room. "Pharaoh!" he yells and they both turn around. "It's Kisara and Mana!"

Atem's eyes widen and he looks back at the two clashing auras. He squints his eyes, trying to get a closer look from his location and he gasps in realization when he sees Mana within the pink aura and Kisara within the blue one. Both appear to be fighting each other. Atem quickly puts on his clothes and runs out with Seto while Shimon stays behind.

"What's going on?" Atem asks as he and his cousin run side by side. "It isn't like them to be fighting. They're best friends!"

"I'm not sure, but we need to stop them before someone seriously gets hurt!"

They finally reach the courtyard where the two are fighting and they shield their faces after they both shoot an attack at each other. Mana charges at Kisara, letting out a battle cry as she holds her wand and prepares to strike to Atem and Seto's horror.

"Mana, no!" Atem shouts in attempt to snap her out whatever is possessing her to do this. She narrowly misses when Kisara jumps out of the way and Mana turns her head back, glaring at her with her glowing pink eyes.

Kisara slowly begins to take steps toward Mana, her hair standing up on its own and her eyes glowing blue. She opens her mouth and an electrical blue blast begins to form. Mana holds out her wand protectively, preparing a magical blast of her own. Simultaneously they shoot their attacks, and they are both blown back from the immense force, but they manage to keep their balance, sliding back on their feet without removing their eye contact from one another.

"Kisara! Mana! Stop this at once!" Seto commands, but neither of them listen as they go head to head once more.

"It's almost as if they're in some sort of trance," Atem comments.

"You would be right," comes a voice from behind them, belonging to none other than Mahad. He joins them at their side. "It's a Berserk Spell. Both of them will continue to fight until they are unable to anymore…or if the spell is broken."

"But who is the cause of this spell?" Seto asks. Before Mahad can answer, there is yet another blast, causing a rumble throughout the palace. Statues have been destroyed, multiple craters have formed in the ground and even the palace walls have taken a hit.

"Leave this me," Mahad says calmly and he rushes out to the battlefield. Mana screams as she raises her wand, trying to land multiple attacks on Kisara who dodges all of them. As Kisara is about to land a counter move, Mahad suddenly appears in the middle of them to their surprise. Without giving them any eye contact, he uses both of his hands to lightly tap them on the foreheads. In an instant, they both collapse on the floor, Kisara falling to her back and Mana landing facedown.

Mahad sighs in relief and folds his arms as Atem and Seto join his side.

Atem crouches down to Mana and Seto does the same for Kisara. "Mana…" Atem places a hand on her back, looking down at her worriedly.

"Do not worry," Mahad assures them. "Once they both wake up, they will be back to normal."

"You still haven't answered my question," Seto says, looking up at the magician with narrowed eyes. "Who is the cause of all this?"

"Whoever it is must be the cause of the Millennium Necklace and Millennium Key being stolen," Atem assumes and Seto looks over at him with shock.

"Wait, what? They've been stolen?"

"Not good," Mahad says. "They're in the hands of a powerful sorcerer named Marik."

"Marik?" Atem and Seto repeat at the same time.

"I'm not sure what he wants with the Millennium Items. But we need to stop him before he gets them all. He already holds a great amount of power already."

"Any idea as to where he could be?" Atem asks.

Mahad sighs and shakes his head. "Unfortunately I do not. But I assure you, I will not rest until I find him."

"Heh…anymore waiting and more Millennium Items will get stolen and possibly lives will be lost," Seto says, growing extremely impatient. "I'm beginning to think you're highly incapable of your duties."

"That's enough Seto," Atem says. Although he is right that they really need to get a move on and stop Marik as soon as possible, he trusts Mahad is doing everything he can.

Mana groans and slowly gets up to her hands and knees, looking around confusedly. "Where am I?"

Kisara starts to come to as well and she sits up, looking just as confused. "What…what happened?"

"Kisara, are you alright?" Seto asks as she holds her head. She looks down at herself, seeing some minor cuts and bruises and looks over to Mana who is sporting the same injuries as well.

"Did we fight?" Kisara asks, blinking a few times.

"Looks like it," Mana replies, returning the same facial expression.

"Do you two remember anything?" Mahad asks as they stand to their feet.

Kisara and Mana both exchange looks before gasping in realization. "That guy!" Mana exclaims with her fists clenched.

"The guy with the grey hair, purple eyes, toned muscles…" Kisara trails off.

"…Chiseled abs, strong shoulders…" Mana continues.

"Focus you two," Atem says with his arms folded and eyes closed, trying to contain his jealousy as Seto does the same, his eyebrow twitching.

"The last thing I remember is his eyes glowing," Kisara recalls. "And then…"

"Everything just went blank," Mana finishes.

"He cast a spell on you that caused you two to fight each other," Mahad tells them to their surprise. "It seems he has the ability to manipulate minds."

Mana's eyes go big. "Ah! That's what he said to us before everything got hazy! And he has two Millennium Items now!"

"Yes, we know Mana. And he must be stopped," Atem says, narrowing his eyes. He can't let anymore items get stolen. Not under his watch. At least they now know who is behind this and can start taking steps to prepare themselves. But he knows they will have to move quickly. Otherwise, more people can get hurt or worse.

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"You didn't really need to walk me back to my room, Atem," Mana says shyly. He trails behind her down the hall until they finally make it to her room.

"I just wanted to make sure you're alright. You've had a few rough nights," he says and she chuckles before sighing. "What is it?"

She turns to him, holding onto her arms. "Atem…" She thinks back to her conversation with Teana and her stomach starts to do flips. She just has to know. Does he still want to go through with the wedding? "Did you tell Teana that you still wanted to go through with the wedding?" she finally asks. Atem exhales and looks down, causing her heart to drop into her stomach. That's all the confirmation she needs. She turns back to the door and opens it, beginning to step inside until Atem grabs her by the wrist.

"Mana, wait." He should've known that Teana really wasn't going to Mana's room to check on her. "I'm sorry. I know I told you one thing but did the opposite. I just didn't have the heart to be upfront with her," he explains. "She actually came up to me and apologized and it really threw me off. She showed me a side that I've never seen before."

"I see…" She gently releases herself from his grasp and takes another step into her room.

"Mana." He hesitantly reaches out and manages to grab her hand, but she keeps her back to him. "Mana, look at me."

"Atem," she says lowly. She tries her best to keep her emotions under control and to not allow her voice to quiver. She takes a deep breath and turns her head slightly so that only her aquamarine eyes are visible. "I really think I just need to be left alone. I can't take this."

"What are you saying?"

"I love you," she reveals, turning to completely face him. He can feel his heart beating quickly and his eyes growing big in surprise. It's something he's been wanting to hear from her for a long time, but definitely not under these circumstances. Her eyes are fixated on her feet and he can tell that she is upset. "But my heart can't take the back and forth. One moment you're hugged up on me, telling me how much I mean to you and the next you're telling Teana that you still want to continue on with the wedding."

Atem can feel panic starting to set in for him. Things weren't always the best between them when they initially broke up, but it has definitely improved, until just now. He feels like they're headed back to square one once again. Not speaking or seeing each other for days and being distant. There's nothing he wants more than to be with her, but he feels himself going back and forth as to whether he wants to do what makes him happy or obey his father's wishes.

"Maybe we just need to accept reality. Your father arranged for you to be with Teana and that's that. So you should just be with her and we remain friends."

"But that's not what I want!" Atem exclaims, now grasping both of her hands and bringing her closer to him. But even so, she refuses to look him in the eyes. The wave of emotions she is feeling right now is just too much. At this point, all she wants to do is collapse on her bed and go to sleep. Maybe then she'll feel better and her mind will be refreshed.

She pulls away from his grasp and drops her hands to her side. "Good night, pharaoh." She turns to walk into her room and closes the door behind her, leaving him standing in the hallway, alone with his thoughts and his feelings of regret.

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Sheesh Atem, get it together man! *face palm* Please review in the mean time!


	10. Chapter 10

"…And the last thing I remember was his glowing purple eyes," Isis recounts the next day in the throne room. She and the other priest are having a meeting with the pharaoh to discuss what happened last night.

"Same here," Shada says. "And the next thing I know, I was transported to this strange world in my mind, almost like a vision of past traumatic events. It was something I've never experienced before."

"My vision was quite the opposite. It was everything that I desired, but at some point I realized it wasn't real and couldn't get out. If it weren't for Mahad bringing me out of it with his spell, I may have been trapped within my mind forever."

"So he really can manipulate minds and cause hallucinations," Atem says. "He must be stopped at once before he steals anymore items or causes more damage."

"I'm sorry we were unable to stop him, my king," Shada apologizes, kneeling down to him. "Regardless of not having my Millennium Key, I will do everything in my power to stop this evil."

"I'd expect nothing less from you, Shada. Thank you," Atem says with a nod.

Mana looks over at Mahad who seems to be stressed. Although he isn't really showing it on the surface, she has known him for far too long and can always tell when something is bothering him. The pressure of being able to find Marik is weighing heavy on him. He taps his finger impatiently on his arm, his arms crossed over his chest and his head turned away. It is something that he would normally scold her about.

"Mahad, that behavior is unacceptable," Mana whispers to him teasingly. He looks over at her and can't help but smile a little. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine once we find out where Marik resides," he says in a low tone.

"So are magicians the only ones that can break whatever hallucination Marik puts people in?"

"It would appear so. But you can't break it while already under his hallucination it seems. So it's best not to let him get to you."

"Right."

"Is everyone clear on their duties?" Atem asks and all the priests bow. He gets up from his throne, making no eye contact with Mana and Mahad. He exits the room first before everyone else disperses. Normally he would stick around to have a word with Mahad or Mana, but did neither.

"The pharaoh doesn't seem to be in a good mood today," Mahad notes.

"He must have a lot on his mind…" Mana says, although she knows the exact reason as to why he's avoiding them, mainly her. She had asked him for time by herself. She just couldn't bear the thought of being hurt by him again. It's clear that he is going back and forth with himself as to whether or not he wants to continue on with the arranged marriage with Teana.

'He needs to be with Teana,' she says in her mind. 'It's what his father wanted after all. And I need to try and…move on.' She sighs lightly. Easier said than done of course. But it is for the best.

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Atem places his hands on the balcony ledge and leans forward with his head bowed slightly. He can feel a headache coming, probably from all of the stress. Between Mana and being pharaoh, it doesn't seem like he's doing anything quite right. He may have possibly ruined any chance of getting back with Mana forever. And on top of that, two more Millennium Items have been stolen. He growls with frustration and punches the concrete balcony before holding his head.

"My king, are you alright?" Shimon says, coming up from behind him.

"I'm fine Shimon. Is there something you need?" Atem asks with one eye shut and his hand placed on his forehead, trying to fight off the lingering pain in his head.

"I just came to inform you that I gave Teana the okay to start with wedding preparations," he informs to Atem's shock.

"You what?" He whips around quickly, causing Shimon to jump a little. "You consult with me for everything else but you—" He stops in his tracks, feeling himself getting worked up. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he slowly regains his composure. "Shimon, with everything going on, now is not the time."

"With all due respect my king, conflicts will arise daily," Shimon points out. "It comes with the territory. That shouldn't mean wedding preparations should be put to a pause."

"Great," Atem mutters, turning his back to him.

"Great," Mana says sarcastically. She stands next to Miho with her arms folded as Teana shows them different colored fabric that she would like to use for the wedding. They both look unimpressed as Teana skips about and goes on excitedly about the wedding planning.

"You truly think this red will look good on me, Mana?" Teana asks, holding the red fabric up to her existing dress.

"Mhmm! So perfect!" Mana says between clenched teeth. The last thing she wants to do is help plan a wedding for Atem and Teana, but she manages to put on a brave face.

Teana hands the fabric over to the nearby servant before turning to the two ladies. "You two will handle the rest of the minor details. I need to focus on what I will look like for our dinner celebration tonight!"

"Say what?" Mana says with disbelief. Teana really isn't wasting any time to get on with the festivities.

"Yes my lady," Miho says, bowing her head as Teana leaves.

"This is not something I agreed upon. I'm a magician, not a wedding planner," Mana complains, rolling her eyes. "I have training to do."

Miho smiles. "It's quite alright Mana. I'll handle it," she volunteers. "I'm just happy she's in a good mood for a change."

"Yeah, you've got a point there," Mana chuckles. "Welp, I'm off! Thanks Miho!"

"No problem!"

"Gosh, she's so nice," Mana says to herself as she runs to the magician's study to meet up with Mahad. "I feel bad that she has to be around Teana more than I do and put up with her mess." She turns the corner to go outside and grunts when she hits what feels like a hard rock. She falls back and lands on her rear and whines. "Sheesh! What did I hit?"

"Serves you right for running," Seto says, looking down at her with his arms folded. She jumps up and pokes his stomach a few times in fascination, feeling the rock hard, chiseled abs that he has.

"Since when do you exercise, Seto?" Mana says before grinning. "Gotta stay in tip top shape for Kisara, huh?"

He fans her finger away. "You're starting to annoy me again," he says, glaring down at the young magician. But those cold blue eyes never fazed her and she only smiles. "Don't you have a certain pharaoh to bother instead?"

Mana hums, "Mmm, not at the moment. But I know who you're on your way to see a certain someone," she replies with a smile.

"Go. Away."

She giggles before running off, finally meeting up with Mahad inside the magicians' study. He is standing at a wooden table, observing scrolls that are scattered on the tabletop. She joins him at his side and looks along with him. "I need to capture this man at once," Mahad says. "Time is of the essence."

"Master, this really seems to be stressing you out," Mana says with a concerned expression.

"I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if more people are put in harm's way. He's dangerous and he must be stopped," he says.

"You're not alone, remember that," she reminds him. "You still have me, the pharaoh and the rest of the priests." She frowns when she doesn't get a response. Seto's words of him being incapable of his duties must really be getting to him.

He walks away from the table and heads toward the door. "I'm going to the old magician's training grounds to train."

Mana blinks with surprise. "Has it been restored?"

"It has for quite some time. And I've been using it as my personal location to train without disrupting the palace."

"No fair!" Mana whines with a pout. "Take me with you! I'm far stronger than the magician's you're training here!"

Mahad shakes his head. "You will stay here and carry out your duties," he says to her dismay. "I will be back."

"But master—!" The door shuts and she sighs, lowering her eyes. She doesn't have a really good feeling about him going out there alone. He's not only a strong magician, but he wields the Millennium Ring. And if Marik is really after all the items, then he's bound to target Mahad at some point. "Mahad…"

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Kisara throws down a towel and wipes the sweat off her forehead. Preparing such a huge meal along with the other servants was no easy task, especially since it was last minute. The feast is to celebrate the future union of Atem and Teana. After Teana had gotten the okay to move forward with wedding planning, she wasted no time to get the ball rolling.

Hearing a sound from the pantry closet, Kisara cautiously walks over to it and swings the door open, only to reveal Mana sitting on the floor, eating an apple. Kisara dims her eyes and looks away. "Really…?"

"Hey Kisara!" Mana greets happily, quickly getting on her feet.

"I see you didn't want to join in on the festivities.".

Mana sighs. "I'm trying to be strong, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It hurts so bad."

"I'm sorry, Mana. I really thought he would follow his heart."

"I'll be fine," Mana assures her. "Right now, I'm more worried about Mahad."

Kisara raises an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"He's been at the magician's training grounds for a while and he still hasn't come back."

"I'm sure he'll be fine. He's the strongest magician I know," Kisara assures her and Mana nods, though still feeling some doubt.

Golden cups clank together after a toast by Shimon. Atem, Teana and the rest of the priests all sit at a long table in the throne room. It is filled with a variety of food ranging from meat and vegetables. Music plays and dancers entertain them as they all eat their delicious meal. Atem rests his chin in his hand, looking off at a distance as he takes a sip of his wine. Thoughts swarm his head about Marik and how they will defeat someone they know little about. But he is determined to do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe.

"You look excited," Seto mutters over to his cousin and Atem sits up properly.

"I have a lot on my mind. This dinner couldn't have come at a worse time."

Seto looks over to Teana who sits at the opposite side of the table, actively engaging with everyone with such enthusiasm that makes Seto cringe. He then looks back at his younger cousin, who has barely looked Teana's way since they sat down. "Not that I care, but I take it things between you and Mana aren't going well."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"So you're really going to go through with this."

"Seto, you know as much as I do that it was my father's wish to marry Teana."

His cousin shrugs his shoulders. "Suit yourself. But I think even you know you're making a big mistake."

Atem sighs and takes another sip of his wine. The last thing he needs is somebody, especially his uptight cousin to tell him what he's doing wrong. He looks around to the other priests chattering about and then over to Teana who chats with Miho. He suddenly has a feeling of dread thinking about the big day where they will both say 'I do' and she will be his queen. His eyes then go over to two empty chairs. Not even his two closest friends are there and it's at this very moment he feels alone.

After the festivities, he finally turns in for the night, laying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. He still wears his royal wardrobe except for his crown that has been placed to the side to relieve the tension on his head. At times like this, he would always call on Mana. She always knows how to cheer him up, even if it's just sitting there in silence. How he wishes that she will just walk through that door and simply lay beside him, stroking his hair as she often did.

He gasps lightly when he hears the door to his room being opened. Mana?

He sits up quickly and is left disappointed when he sees that it is Teana instead. Trying to hide his disappointment, he cracks a smile as she approaches him while he sits on the bed. "You left rather quickly after the festivities," she says. "You didn't even tell me goodnight."

"My apologies Teana. I'm just not feeling well," he replies. Though it's mostly the truth, there is far more bothering him. He draws in a breath and becomes stiff when she wraps her arms around his neck. He leans his head back, trying to create some sort of distance between them, but the more he does that, the more she presses forward until her chest is pressed up against his. His face goes red and he swiftly gets up, maneuvering out of her grasp. "Uh…Teana, I'm going to get some sleep now. But thank you for checking up on me." He motions toward the door and she pouts.

"You're always so short with me," Teana complains, folding her arms. "Why is that?"

Atem sighs. "Look, I've just had a long day, alright?"

"Well at least use some of your free time to think about wedding preparations. I can't do it myself."

He groans lightly. That seems to be the only thing on her mind. Doesn't she realize they are in the middle of a crisis? There's a mysterious man that's going around, stealing Millennium Items and killed one of his priests. He can't possibly think of the wedding now.

When Atem doesn't respond, Teana finds herself growing more frustrated. 'What's up with him? He's never like that around that low life he calls a friend.'

"Isn't planning our wedding important to you?" she says, slightly raising her voice.

"Teana, there are far more important things going on right now," he replies turning his head toward the window. "It's not my number one priority. I'm sorry."

She growls. "What does Mana have over me?!" she snaps, catching him off guard and he looks at her with a surprised expression, his mouth slightly agape. "You barely give me the time of day, but you're always calling Mana to your room to do who knows what!" She recalls when she overheard Kisara and Mana talking about it in the kitchen awhile back ago—how Atem would summon Mana to his quarters whenever he feels stressed out.

"Now hold on—"

"She's got nothing over me, got that?! Nothing!"

"Teana that's enough," Atem says, narrowing his eyes. This sudden outburst of hers is causing his headache to get worse and he doesn't appreciate her bringing up Mana's name to try and get her point her across. But he still tries to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Maybe you've had too much to drink tonight. You need to rest."

Teana rolls her eyes and flings her hand as she walks out of his room and slams the door. She is certain he and Mana still have something going on. 'That stupid magician girl. I just need her out of the picture so me and my future husband can live happily ever after. I don't want to see her face anymore!'

In the courtyard, Mana paces back and forth, holding onto her arms. Her gaze is fixated on the entrance to the palace. Mahad still hasn't come back from the magician's training grounds yet and she is starting to grow concerned. A huge part of her wants to go out there and see if he's okay. But his orders for her were to stay at the palace.

She groans with frustration, biting her thumbnail. "Mahad, where are you?" she asks herself.

"Are you alright?" comes a nearby voice and she turns her head to see Kisara standing behind her with a concerned expression.

She sighs. "Mahad still hasn't made it back yet."

"Perhaps he's just really into his training?" Kisara guesses.

"I don't know…With everything going on, I just have a bad feeling about him being out there alone."

"Mana, Mahad is the strongest magician we know," Kisara reiterates to her once again. "I'm sure he will be fine."

They suddenly hear quick footsteps headed their way. They look toward the direction it is coming from, not being able to see anything but a dark hall. But the sounds of the footsteps get closer and closer until they reveal none other than Teana who appears to be furious.

Teana's eyes fixate on Mana and she marches right up to the confused magician.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Teana yells, her pointed finger only inches away from Mana's face.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Mana asks, fanning Teana's hand away.

"I know you and Atem are seeing each other! Admit it!" Teana accuses her. "You're being intimate with my future husband!"

"What?!" Mana shouts with disbelief. "I've done no such thing! You're nuts!"

"You're not fooling anyone!"

"You're crazy," Mana says turning away to leave, but not before Teana stops her in her tracks. "Move." She isn't sure what's causing Teana to act crazier than usual, but she wants to be left alone. She is more concerned about the well being of her master and friend, Mahad. She doesn't have time for Teana's foolishness.

"Pardon my intrusion," Kisara says, seeing that this is about to get out of hand. "It is quite late. I think we should all turn in for the night."

"She started it," Mana says, folding her arms.

"You stay out of this!" Teana yells before continuing with her rant. "If you weren't in the picture, I wouldn't be going through this right now!

"Teana, move! I don't have time to entertain you today!" Mana can feel the anger building up inside her right now. Why does Teana insist on talking down to her or saying negative things about her? What has she ever done to Teana to make her hate her so much? She takes a deep breath and then exhales. "Teana, for the last time, move." Mana manages to move past her and starts to walk away and Kisara jogs to get keep up with her.

Teana turns around, clenching her fists at her sides. "You stay away from him!" She shouts after Mana who continues to walk away, despite her taunting and insults. "You hear me?! You're a nobody! A low life who will never amount to anything!"

"You know what?!" Mana stops and turns around.

"Mana, no! Don't let her upset you," Kisara says, holding onto her arm. Mana sighs heavily and turns her back to Teana. Kisara is right. She has more important things to worry about.

"Thank you Kisara," Mana says as they walk down the hall. "Not sure what's gotten into her, but she's acting crazier than usual."

Kisara chuckles. "Yeah, definitely. But best not to let her get to you."

"I think I'm going to head to the training grounds to check on Mahad."

"By yourself? Mana, I don't think that'll be such a good idea." They stop in the hall and turn to face each other.

"I just keep having this nagging feeling that he's in danger. And I won't be able to rest until I know for sure that he's okay."

Kisara exhales and drops her head. "You're gonna go whether I try and stop you or not, aren't you?" Mana responds with smile and Kisara grounds. "Fine…then I'm coming too."

"You're the best, Kisara!"

Kisara sighs more heavily. Mana is always dragging her into something, one way or another. "Let's go. The sooner we go, the sooner we can get back before anyone notices."

Mana nods in agreement. "Right! Let's go!"

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Thank you for the reviews on my last chapter. I know we can't respond to "guests," so thank you Guest for your review!

Let me know what you think of this chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

Mahad stands in the magician's training grounds in silence. His arms are crossed over his chest and his eyes are closed as a purple aura surrounds him. The training grounds is a cave located in the middle of the dessert, surrounded by absolutely nothing. Inside, there are different platforms and areas in which a magician can train. There are still a few areas of the training grounds that are still under construction, but not enough for it to interfere with Mahad's trainings.

He finds himself a little distracted by the thoughts swarming in his head. His fellow priest, Seto, believes he is incapable of doing his duties and that greatly bothers him. He has gone through numerous trainings, sleepless nights studying and overall working hard to be in the position that he is in today. He takes his role as a magician and most importantly, a priest, very seriously.

After hearing a small sound from behind him, he slowly opens his eyes. "You cannot hide," he says calmly. "Show yourself."

A mischievous laugh echoes through the room and Mahad narrows his eyes. "So, we finally get to meet face to face," the voice says. A dark pool of liquid appears in front of Mahad and it slowly forms into a slim figure. Telling by the amount of energy coming from this other person, Mahad can tell that this is the man they have been looking for. "I've heard a lot about you," the gray haired man continues with a grin. "It's time to test and see if you truly are as strong as they say."

"Marik, it's time you pay for your crimes," Mahad says, unfolding his arms. "I'm giving you one chance. Return the Millennium Items you stole."

"Not a chance," Marik responds. "I'll do a better job at ruling Egypt than that incapable pharaoh sitting on the throne currently."

"You're going to regret ever disrespecting the pharaoh." Mahad takes a protective stance and Marik does the same with a light chuckle.

"This should be interesting."

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After taking two of the horses out of the stables and riding through the desert, Kisara and Mana finally make it to the magician's training grounds. There is another horse waiting outside, presumably belonging to Mahad. They hop off their respective horses and stand at the entrance. It is eerily quiet and not one sound is made.

Mana goes into the entrance first and Kisara follows closely behind. At first, there seems to be no signs of anyone there. As they walk further down the stairs that lead to the main combat area, they see a familiar person standing in the middle of the stage. Mana smiles with relief. "Master!" she calls out to him and she runs forward while Kisara stays behind. "I was worried about you! Why are you here so late?"

He doesn't answer her. Instead, he keeps his back to her. Mana tilts her head. "Mahad?" She scratches the back of her head. "Okay, I get it. You're mad because I left the palace right?"

"You shouldn't be here," he says hoarsely and she frowns. Something seems very wrong. He doesn't sound like himself. His shoulders move up and down as his breathing is more labored. She places a hand on his shoulder and he turns around. His face is stained with blood and most of his body is injured.

"Master!" she exclaims as he falls forward and she catches him. Kisara runs to her side and looks on with worry.

"What happened?" Kisara asks.

Mahad coughs a few times. "Leave now! Or…"

Mana narrows her eyes, feeling something coming at them and she whips around, outstretching her hand to form a shield around them as a magical blast collides into it. They all look up to see what appears to be Mahad's Illusion Magician floating in the air, pointing its staff at them. But something is different about it. Normally, it would be clothed in purple attire, but this version seems almost metallic looking.

"Mahad, what's going on? Why is your monster attacking us?" Mana asks, not taking her sights off the monster and keeping her guard up.

"That's not exactly mine," Mahad replies weakly, and he motions over to an opposite corner where his actual Illusion Magician lies against a wall, weakened.

"I'm so confused," Kisara says.

"Who did this?" Mana asks.

"Pleasure of you two ladies joining us," comes a familiar voice and they all turn their heads to see Marik approaching them.

"Not you again," Kisara groans, remembering the last time they were face to face. He sure did cause a mess of things in the palace. He cast a spell on her and Mana that caused them to fight each other. And she has a feeling that he is behind this copy of the Illusion Magician.

"If you don't want a repeat of last time, then have him hand over his Millennium Ring," Marik says, pointing to Mahad.

"There's no way I'm letting you have this," Mahad pants. He can feel the energy draining from his body over the battle he had with Marik. Their two magicians were initially evenly matched, but Marik's copy adapted over time and ended up overpowering Mahad's.

Marik shrugs. "Suit yourself then."

Mana stands protectively in front of Mahad and makes her wand materialize in her hand. She crosses her arms over her chest and a pink aura begins to glow around her.

"Mana, no!" Mahad warns her and she turns around.

"Huh? Why?" she asks as her Dark Magician Girl begins to appear in front of her.

"If you summon your monster, he'll copy it too!"

Mana cringes. Too late. Her magician has already been summoned. "Seriously?! You coulda said that sooner!" Marik laughs before summoning his magician to attack all of them and it sends a barrage of magical waves at them. The three of them dodge in separate directions. Mahad grunts as he hits the floor. Just as he feared, Marik is truly a force to be reckoned with. He tries to stand up, but he stumbles and lands on his knees.

"Save your strength," Kisara advises him. "Mana and I will handle him." Mahad grits his teeth. He feels helpless not being able to assist them in battle. And he knows they will ultimately be no match for Marik's strength.

"Master, how is he able to copy other's monsters?" Mana asks.

"Enough chatter! Time to die!" Marik yells and his copy of the Illusion Magician begins to attack them again. Mana's Dark Magician Girl quickly flies in front of them and uses her wand similar to a bat, taking a hard swing to deflect the attack back. The Illusion Magician easily dodges and shoots yet another barrage of attacks that all make contact with the magician girl.

Mana gasps, feeling multiple jolts go through her chest. Whenever her monster is hit, she feels all of it as well. And if her monster dies, then she does too. She has never faced off against the Illusion Magician before, but if it's anything like the real one, then they could be in for a world of trouble.

"Watch out!" Kisara yells and she quickly stands in front of Mana, opening her mouth and blasting the magician away and its hits the highest part of the wall before falling to the ground.

Marik raises an eyebrow, not expecting such a powerful attack to come from the blue haired woman. "She must posses a powerful ka," he says to himself and he grins. He sends up a look to the Illusion Magician, silently signaling for it to start aiming its attacks at Kisara. Mahad notices this and a look of horror appears on his face.

"Kisara, get out of here! Now!"

Kisara turns her head to him in confusion. "Huh?" She suddenly feels the presence of the magician right in front of her and she turns her head back. Its wand is pointed directly at her and she gasps, not being able to defend herself in time as it blasts her with a green magical sphere. She cries out as she is blown back and she hits the ground hard.

"KISARA!" Mana screams and she narrows her eyes at her foe. "Dark Magician Girl, Dark Burning Attack!" Her blonde haired magician companion obeys, letting out a battle cry before using her wand to send a counter attack. But it fails to make a huge impact as the Illusion Magician still stands tall. It now points its green wand at the Dark Magician Girl and sends an attack her way. This time, this blast bigger than all of the previous attacks

"Call back your monster, Mana!" Mahad instructs, fearing that her monster isn't strong enough to defend itself. Mana quickly crosses her arms and her Dark Magician Girl disappears. But the blast is still headed her way. "MANA!"

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Atem quickly sits up in bed, his heart pounding fast. He holds onto his chest, looking around his empty room. He swings his legs out of bed and places them on the floor. "I sense great danger," he says to himself as he makes his way over to the balcony. The palace is quiet and there is no signs of anyone else being up. He could have sworn he heard someone scream, but maybe it was just a bad dream.

His eyes lift up when he sees a flash of lightning off in the distance. The same strike of lightning hits the same spot more than once and he narrows his eyes. "Something is not right…"

After putting on his royal clothing he walks to the horses stables. He knows that he shouldn't go out alone, but it would take too much time to gather everyone together. He decides that if there is any real danger, he will be sure to send out a signal. He takes a step up to his white horse and places a hand on it as it snorts and grumbles. "I know. It's late," he says to the horse apologetically.

"I take it you saw that flash of lightning as well," comes his cousin's voice two stations across from his horse.

"Seto?" Atem says with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Same reason you are," he replies vaguely, hopping on his brown horse and Atem does the same on his own horse. Without saying another word, they ride out of the palace and into the desert toward the magician's training grounds.

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"You all are pathetic," Marik says as he approaches the three laying on the ground. Their attempts at defeating him have been futile. But Marik isn't done with them yet, especially one individual in particular. He walks up to Kisara who lifts her head off the ground as he kneels down to her. "You possess a powerful ka and I want to see it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kisara says weakly. She grunts as he lifts her up by her shirt and raises her into the air.

"You will show me," he says and he outstretches his free hand toward Mana who is trying to sit up. A ball of energy forms in his palm. "Do it, or I will kill her."

"D-Don't do it, Kisara," Mana says hoarsely.

"SILENCE!" Marik yells, shooting a warning shot at her. It collides with Mana and she screams from the immense pain. She lands lifelessly on the ground with a thud and that causes a huge wave of negative emotions to flood Kisara's mind. Marik grins as she starts to glow blue and a roar sounds through the air.

Meanwhile in the desert, Atem and Seto stop their horses after hearing the roar of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. A white light shoots up into the sky, causing Seto's heart to drop into his stomach.

"No…Kisara…" he says.

"Come on. There's no time to lose." Atem signals for his horse to go and Seto rides behind him as they head to the source of the light.

Mahad runs over to Mana and shakes her a few times. "Wake up Mana!" Another roar brings his attention the Blue Eyes White Dragon standing before them. At first it faces Marik, preparing to attack him. But Marik has another trick up his sleeve. He raises his hand out and a silver, gooey substance appears in his hand.

Mahad's eyes widen in horror. "No…that's how he copied my magician!"

"WIth this power, I'll be unstoppable!" The goo lashes out at the Blue Eyes White Dragon in an attempt to steal its power and replicate it just as it did to Mahad's Illusion Magician.

"Not on my watch!" Mahad yells, outstretching his hand and forming a shield in front the Blue Eyes before the metallic-colored goo can work its magic. He then uses his other hand to strategically shoot an attack at Marik without injuring Kisara in the process. He cries out and drops Kisara to the ground.

Mana slowly comes to and raises her head, seeing the chaos happen in front of her. She then looks over to Kisara, whose eyes are still glowing blue from summoning her monster. "Kisara! Call back your dragon! Now!" But she is in such a trance-like state, she doesn't register what Mana is saying. When Kisara summons her monster, sometimes she isn't aware of what's going on due to the amount of power her monster holds. It drains her body immensely and she is left exhausted for days.

Mana clenches her teeth and picks up her wand, running up to Kisara. "Forgive me." She raises her wand and knocks Kisara on the back of her head and she falls to the ground out cold, causing her dragon to disappear.

"NO!" Marik yells, chanting a spell to make Mana pay for foiling his plan, but yet another roar sounds through the air to all of their surprise.

Bursting through the wall comes the Egyptian god, Slifer the Sky Dragon. Its long, red body stands protectively in front of Mana and the others.

"Stop right there!" Atem's voice echoes through the room and Mana sighs in relief as he and Seto come through the entrance.

"So we finally meet face to face, pharaoh," Marik says with a smirk before turning his head to Mahad. "Pity. You had to call for back up."

"You will pay dearly for your crimes!" Seto exclaims. "Hand back the Millennium Items you stole at once!"

Marik only chuckles before looking toward the ceiling, planning his escape. "You just made it easy for me. Now that I have you three here, I can steal your Millennium Items all at once. And I plan to take it off your corpses!" he yells and he aims both hands toward the ceiling, firing off a few blasts that make different sized debris start to fall. "Let's see you get out of this one!" He uses a spell to disappear within a cloud of smoke, leaving them to fend for their lives and avoiding getting crushed by the large rocks.

Atem raises his wrist containing the object that allows him to summon his monsters and he calls back his Egyptian God. "This place is coming down. We have to leave now!" Seto rushes over to Kisara and lifts her up into his arms and they all begin to make a break for the exit.

Mana, who is running behind everyone, notices a rather large rock falling toward the pharaoh and the others and she stops in her tracks. "WATCH OUT!" she yells and they all look up in shock as the rock comes hurdling down toward them. She closes her eyes briefly and reopens them, revealing her glowing pink eyes and her hands glow the same color as she raises them into the air, using a spell to keep the rocks from falling. She grits her teeth as she protects them from all of the other falling rocks, levitating them in the air so that they can head to the exit safely.

"Mana!" Mahad calls out with worry. He raises his hand as well to attempt to help her, but she stops him.

"No Mahad! Your energy is drained!" Mana exclaims back. "Everyone go now!"

"Not without you!" Atem yells, clenching his fist. He has always admired her strength and being selfless, but this situation is way too dangerous and he can't risk losing her.

"If you don't go we'll all die!" Her arms are beginning to shake under the weight of keeping all of the rocks afloat with her spell.

"Mana! For once, stop going back and forth with me! I am your king and—"

She manages to look down at him, glaring at him with her glowing eyes. "You _will_ leave. That is an order," she says and Atem sucks his teeth in annoyance. Typical Mana to throw his common phrase back at him. Only she can manage to boss him around, even in his position. Why does she always have to be so witty and have the last word even in the most crucial times?

"I will be fine," she assures him. "Trust me!"

Atem doesn't seem convinced, but Mahad is feeling the opposite. He has complete faith in his student. He looks at her, seeing the amount of growth and progress with her magic. He couldn't be more proud. He nods slowly before turning to the pharaoh. "Pharaoh, we must go now."

"But Mahad…If we leave now—"

"She is my most powerful student. We must trust her."

Atem looks back at Mana. He just doesn't see how she can make it out of this. Mahad places a hand on his shoulder reassuringly and Atem looks at him. He can see the confidence in Mahad's eyes, though there is a bit of fear there as well. At the end of the day, they all grew up together and they don't want to see the other harmed in any way. But Mana leaves them with no choice. Atem takes a deep breath and nods reluctantly. They continue to run to the exit and Atem takes one final look back, seeing Mana with her arms still raised as she prevents the rocks from causing any harm to them.

'Please Mana…don't make me regret this…' Atem thinks to himself and they finally make it out. They can see from the outside that the magician's training grounds is caving in and panic begins to set in for him. His heart pounds with every passing moment as they wait for Mana to emerge from the cave.

On the inside, Mana breathes a sigh of relief once she realizes they have made it out safely. But now she has to save herself from getting crushed. She chuckles nervously as her arms begin to shake more violently. She is slowly losing her strength and it is becoming harder for her to hold this up. "I sure did bite on more than I could chew," she jokes to herself before grunting.

Seconds seem like minutes as they wait for the outcome on the outside. Atem narrows his eyes and his fists tremble at his sides. He is growing impatient and he has a growing urge to run inside to save her. To his horror, the cave completely collapses and his heart does several flips. Dust begins to rise and they shield their eyes until it settles.

"No…Mana!" Atem yells. He coughs, feeling the great amount of dust irritating the back of his throat. He squints to see through the dust, only seeing a huge pile of rocks where the training grounds used to be. He rushes forward and without thinking, he tries to remove the rocks single-handedly.

Seto lowers his eyes, fearing the worst has happened to Mana. There are no signs of her anywhere and he doesn't see how she could've made it out alive. He shakes his head at his cousin who desperately tries to remove the huge rocks one by one. That is until Mahad comes up behind him and places a hand on his shoulder.

"My king…"

"No…" His voice begins to tremble at the realization that Mana hadn't made it out in time. "She didn't make it…You said she'd be alright!" He turns his head to look at Mahad, trying to hold back tears and he can see that Mahad is doing the same. He goes back and forth in his head, wondering why he didn't just listen to his first thought and try and save her. He bangs his fists on the ground, his shoulders shaking as the tears trickle down his face.

Kisara moans lightly and opens her eyes. She realizes she is in the arms of Seto, but his gaze isn't focused on her. Instead, they have a look of horror and his mouth is slightly open as if in shock. "Seto?" she says weakly and he quickly looks down at her.

"Kisara…you're alright," he says, relieved.

Her blue eyes move from left to right. "What happened?" At a short distance, she sees Atem kneeling down by a pile of rocks and Mahad standing beside him. But one person in particular is missing. She gasps and her focus goes back to Seto who looks away. "Where's Mana?" She quickly sits up.

"Kisara…"

"Where is she?" she asks, her voice rising.

"I'm sorry…" is all Seto can say. Kisara slowly places her hand up to her mouth, the realization that her friend is gone hitting her in full force. Her eyes begin to water as she begins to put two and two together.

"No…" she whimpers as Seto brings her closer to his chest and she begins to sob.

Mahad drops to his knees beside Atem and looks to the rubble, looking on with disbelief. 'Mana…is this really it?'

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And thus, a tragic end to this chapter… and Mana… :(


	12. Chapter 12

His heart feels completely shattered as he sits on the throne that same morning. He and his priests wasted no time to meet up to discuss what occurred and plans to take action. On the one hand, Mahad was able to fend Marik off enough to not allow him to steal another Millennium Item. But on the other hand, Mana is presumed dead. Currently there are attempts to move the rubble to recover her body.

Atem rests his head on his hand and slouches down in his throne with a blank expression. He knows that he still has a responsibility to rule and make decisions, but he just can't snap himself out of it. His eyes slowly scroll to Mahad whose eyes are low. He can tell that Mahad is carrying a lot of guilt as well. He had put so much faith in his student and rightfully so. She had proved to be the strongest magician studying under him. There's a reason why she was his apprentice. He saw so much potential in her and she never ceased to amaze him. But now, she was gone after putting the lives of others before her own as she always did.

Seto looks to Atem who doesn't appear to be listening to anything that is going on and he shakes his head. But who could blame him? As much as Mana annoyed him from time to time, he never wished any harm on her. He is going to miss her crazy antics and even her crashing his and Kisara's alone time. Kisara is especially taking it hard and is practically inconsolable. She has been allowed as much time as she needs away from her regular duties.

Atem lazily flicks his hand when asked a question by Shimon. They will send troops out in the same area of the training grounds to see if they can find any trace of Marik and the search will not stop until they are successful in locating him.

After their discussion concludes, Atem hurries to his room where he can be left alone. He leans forward on the wall, hiding his face within his arms and beginning to sob, slowly sliding down to his knees. How he will miss that smile of hers, the jokes, her wittiness and her ability to always be able to make him feel better whenever he is down. The way she would embrace him when times were tough, feeling her fingers run through his hair. The way she would stick her tongue out in a playful manner and he would return the gesture whenever they would have their debates. Her carefreeness as she skipped through the palace without a care in the world.

"Mana…" he sobs, picturing her final moments as she held her arms high to keep the rocks from falling on them and the determined look in her eyes. He punches the wall, not even flinching from the pain that it causes shortly after. It doesn't compare to the pain in his heart.

_"__Trust me!"_ he remembers her saying.

"I did trust you." He clenches his fists, the tears flowing down his cheeks. "Please…come back…How am I supposed to go on with you?"

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Teana walks around happily that late afternoon after choosing what type of dress she will be wearing for the big day. She can practically feel Atem's lips on hers when they say 'I do.' She smiles and giggles at the thought of it. She looks around to the servants who are working hard, doing their duties. But something seems off. Almost everyone she's passed looks like they are in an awful mood, like they are mourning something or someone. She looks ahead to see Miho.

"Mihooo!" Teana sings and the woman turns to her.

"Oh...hi Princess Teana," she greets back with her eyes looking down at the floor.

"Guess who just picked out her dress?"

Miho cracks a small smile. "That's wonderful."

Teana raises an eyebrow at her attitude. "What's wrong with you? Why does everyone seem like they're in a bad mood?"

"You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Mana was killed at dawn today...crushed by rocks," Miho reveals. Though they weren't close, she always found Mana to be very friendly and more pleasant to be around than Teana.

"You don't say?" Teana says and Miho only nods. "Heh…that's too bad." She shrugs and continues walking to Miho's surprise. Is Teana truly that heartless?

Teana walks to her room and closes the door, not being able to contain her excitement anymore. Finally she has gotten what she wanted. Now nobody will stand in the way of her getting married to Atem. She sighs with a smile and goes to the other room to get freshened up, closing the door.

Unbeknownst to her, a black portal appears in the ceiling of her bedroom, causing a gust of wind. A feminine figure drops from it and lands on her bed, bouncing a few times before becoming completely still.

"So tired..." Mana groans, rubbing the back of her head and sitting up on her knees. She looks from left to right and then looks up in thought, tapping her chin with her index finger. "This isn't my room."

"Finally, that Mana is outta my hair for good!" she overhears a familiar voice say from another room and she looks over her shoulder.

"Hmm?"

The door opens and Teana comes out with her eyes closed, a towel wrapped around her and using another towel to wipe her face. "...And Atem and I will live happily ever after." She finally opens her eyes and her heart drops, seeing Mana sitting on the middle of her bed with a confused expression. Her eyes slowly become large, not expecting to see the magician girl there in the flesh.

Mana blinks. "Ah…so this is your room," she says in realization and folds her arms. "Thought that portal would lead me to my own room. Guess that spell needs work."

Teana shrieks loudly, pointing at Mana with a shocked expression and Mana covers her ears. "A GHOST!"

"Really…" Mana dims her eyes and sweat drops.

"You're supposed to be dead!"

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Mana asks with a grin.

"As a matter of fact, I—"

"Ya know, your bed is super soft and comfy," Mana says, poking the bed a few times, totally disregarding whatever Teana is going to say.

"GET OUT!"

Mana stumbles out of Teana's room and the door shuts behind her. She chuckles and rubs the back of her head, grinning from ear to ear. The immature side of her sure did get a kick out of scaring Teana, especially since she thought she was dead. But the mature side of her knows that she must alert her master that she is alive.

She jogs down the halls, looking left and right and raising her eyebrows as all of the servants gives her weird looks, dropping whatever it is in their hands and gasping with shock. Mana stops in her tracks and turns to them. "Hey!" The servants flinch and take a few steps back. After news had spread that Mana was dead, they weren't expecting to see her. "Have you seen Mahad?" One of them manages to point in the direction where her master is and she bows briefly before running off.

In another part of the hallway, Kisara sobs, leaning on a nearby wall as Seto tries to comfort her. She just can't believe that her best friend is gone. "If only I had done more," she cries.

"Do not blame yourself Kisara," Seto says to her, grabbing her hand. "There's nothing more you could have done."

Kisara looks up at him tearfully and sniffles. "I just can't believe this has happened." Seto brings her into an embrace and pressing his lips on her forehead.

"You two are so cute," says a familiar voice and they both quickly pull away. Have they been spotted? When they see that the voice belongs to none other than Mana, both of their jaws drop. Mana looks at Seto and then to Kisara, whose cheeks are red and her eyes are watery. "Hey, have you been crying?" Mana tilts her head and blinks.

"You idiot!" Kisara yells, punching her in the head to Seto's shock. That sounds like something he would say to Mana.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Mana whines, rubbing her head.

"We thought you were dead! How are you here?!" Seto yells as Kisara starts breaking down into tears again and hugging her best friend who hugs back with a smile.

"A magician never reveals her tricks," Mana says with a chuckles and Seto groans, rolling his eyes.

"Mana?"

They all turn around to see Mahad approaching them after hearing all of the noise. "Howdy Mahad!" Mana greets cheerfully.

"But how—"

"Don't even bother," Seto says, folding his arms. "Because if you aren't exempt by that magician's rule, then she won't tell you either."

Mahad groans and he snatches her up, carrying her away by the back of her blouse. "Aw man, am I in trouble?" Mana asks as she gets dragged away from Seto and Kisara.

"See you tomorrow Mana!" Kisara waves, knowing that Mana is about to get an earful from her master.

"Ack Mahad! What's the big deal?!"

He places her down and turns away and she tries to look over his shoulder to see his facial expression. "Mana…we thought you perished. You should've at least informed us what your were plan was. We were all worried that we lost you for good."

"Come on Mahad. Don't nag me again," she says dropping her shoulders and frowning. He chuckles lightly, wiping the two tears that snuck out of his eyelids. How could he stay mad at her? The important thing is that she is safe and sound. Before turning around, he regains his serious gaze and looks down at her.

"I'm not going to nag you." Instead he brings her in for a hug to her surprise, embracing her tight. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

Mana smiles, embracing him back. "Okay, I won't." After parting away, she gives out a long yawn and Mahad sweat drops.

"You need to inform the pharaoh."

"But that spell wore me out! Can I do it tomorrow?"

Mahad turns away and folds his arms. "Absolutely not. The pharaoh has been in great distress since the incident so you will tell him at once. Understand?" No answer. "Understand?" he asks again with more emphasis. But there is still no answer from his apprentice. He sighs and turns around and initially doesn't see her. That is until he hears snoring come from below and he slaps his forehead, seeing her passed out on the floor.

He picks her up bridal style and shakes his head. "Fine. You win this time around. But after this nap of yours, you'd better inform him."

Her lips curly slightly and all he can do is sigh, a small smile forming of his own.

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

Atem lays in bed that night looking up at the ceiling. How can he possibly sleep? In the blink of an eye, Mana was standing right in front of him, protecting him and the others with every ounce of strength in her body. Even in her final moments, she was selfless, brave and stubborn at that.

_"__That is an order…" she says, glaring at him with those glowing pink eyes of hers. _

How she even managed to get him to do as she asked in such a critical moment still gets to him. Only she was capable of doing such a thing. The biggest and strongest guards in his kingdom does what he says, and yet a slim petite woman that was shorter than him totally went against his wishes.

"Why did you have to be so stubborn?" he mutters angrily to himself, narrowing his eyes as more tears threaten to fall. "Why couldn't you just listen to me?" Small droplets fall from his eyes, landing on his pillow as he begins to whimper, thinking about all of the ways he could have attempted to change the outcome. He should've put his foot down. He's the pharaoh, not her. He should have been ordering her, not the other way around.

He hears his door creak and he quickly sits up in bed, looking around. He knows he closed his door all the way before getting into bed. Looking from left to right, his heart begins to pound. Someone has entered his room. He's sure of it. He swings his feet out of bed, preparing to get up, but not before he lays eyes on a slim figure in the shadows right in front of him. Who is that? He starts from the bottom of the mystery figure, working his way up until his eyes rests on her curvy hips.

Teana?

"Show yourself," he demands, narrowing his eyes to try and get a better look.

"Very well pharaoh," the feminine voice replies before stepping out of the shadows.

Atem's mouth goes agape and his heart begins to pound even faster as Mana reveals himself to him, walking up until she is standing directly in front of him as he sits on the edge of his bed. "M-Mana?" But how can that be? He is sure that she perished. So how is she standing right here at this very moment? He hesitantly reaches out his hand to touch her and until he finally makes contact with her hand. It's solid and warm to both his surprise and relief.

Mana smiles. "If you were expecting a ghost then I'm sorry to disappoint y—" She gasps as he pulls her to him, embracing her around her waist as he rests his head on her chest. Her eyes widen when he hears him whimpering and she places her hands on his shoulders, looking down at him, her eyes lowered and calm now.

"Atem…please don't—"

"I thought I lost you…" he cries in a slight whisper. "I thought I'd never see you again…" She begins to stroke his hair in the same manner that she always does in order to soothe him and keep him calm.

"Never…I told you I'd be alright."

He draws in a deep breath, trying to regain his composure and he pulls away briefly, wiping his tears before looking up at her. "Don't ever do that again…"

Mana chuckles lightly and rubs the back of her head.

"I'm serious Mana," he says, staring deeply into her eyes for emphasis. She has a tendency to joke her way out of things, but he wants to make sure that she understands how serious the situation is. "Next time, listen to me. I am your king and I am the only one to be giving commands."

Mana sighs and drops her shoulders and looks away. "You don't have faith in me?"

"It's not that."

"Do you think my training is for nothing? There's a reason I'm Mahad's top student," she says, getting slightly defensive as she clenches her fists at her side. "You don't trust me?"

"Mana…"

"What?" she asks, but he doesn't answer. Not wanting to get even more upset, she decides to turn away to leave. She knows she gave him and everyone else quite a scare, but that's no reason for him to start nagging at her. She gasps lightly when she feels his strong arm wrapping around her waist, bringing her back to him, embracing her once more.

"I can't lose you again," he says lowly, his head bowed.

"Atem I—"

His hands slide up from her waist and he grasps her arms firmly, giving her a light shake that causes her to stop mid sentence. He slowly looks up at her, his eyes are bloodshot red from all of the tears he cried and small bags have begun to form after not getting much rest. For once, can she not have a comeback to everything he says and just listen? If the expression on his face doesn't hint enough to her that she should be taking him seriously, he doesn't know what else will. But telling by the concerned look in her eyes, he can tell that he is finally getting across to her the severity of her actions.

"I can't lose you," he repeats himself again, shaking his head, not removing his gaze from her. "I love you too much. I can't risk losing you again." He finally releases her and exhales, burying his face into the palms of his hands.

Mana slowly lifts her hand and places it on her chest, feeling her heart beating at a quick pace. She honestly didn't realize how much she _truly_ gave everyone a scare. Even Kisara acted out of the ordinary when she realized her friend was alive. She also can't remember the last time she received a hug from Mahad. And now Atem has just poured his heart out to her. It is rare that she has ever seen him this upset. The last time he was in so much distress was when his father passed suddenly and she was there to comfort him during that difficult time.

She steps up to Atem who is still sitting on the bed, hiding his face. He can feel her arms wrap around his neck and he finally drops his hands, resting them around her waist, holding onto her tightly and she returns the same energy. "I'm sorry…" she whispers to him, a few tears trickling down her cheek and she sniffles. They pull away slightly and Atem reaches up to wipe her tears.

"You really don't know how much you mean to me," he says. "I would truly be lost without you."

"Atem…" She hugs him once more, resting her cheek on his shoulder and she turns her head so that her lips are facing his ear. "I love you so much," she whispers.

He turns his head and captures her lips and Mana slowly closes her eyes, kissing him back. He tightens the grasp around her waist and brings her closer until her knees hit the front of the bed and he lifts her up so that her legs are straddled around his hips as she sits on his lap facing him. The kisses are soft and slow, as if getting reacquainted with the feeling of each others lips dancing on top of one another again.

She moans lightly as he parts her lips, exploring her mouth with his tongue while simultaneously caressing her back up and down. She has always allowed him to take control in the past and this time is no different. In one swift motion, she feels herself being lifted up slightly before he guides her hips down. She gasps lightly, feeling him enter her and it is taking all of her not to moan loudly from the immense pleasure. He captures her lips once again, silencing her. Their bodies begin to move in sync for a brief moment until he picks up the pace and she can no longer keep up with his strokes.

"Atem…" she moans softly.

He can feel her legs tightening around his waist and he whispers her name huskily in her ear, causing her to finally meet her climax and he reaches his shortly after. He lays back so that she is now laying on top of him and she rests her head on his chest, panting heavily after such a passionate love making. She didn't go to his room with the intention of this happening. It just happened. But it feels right. Laying in his arms, being this close to him.

His heart belongs to Mana. She's all he's ever wanted, even after they went their separate ways. He knows that there is an arrangement for him to be married to Teana. But that's not what he wants. After all those talks with Mana for him to follow his heart and to live his life the way he sees fit, it finally clicks. Deep down, he knows what he wants, but going about doing that may not be such an easy task and a certain someone may not handle the news well.

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

Let me know what you think! Reviews really make my day so please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Atem and Seto walk through the halls of the palace the next day after having yet another discussion about Marik. After having troops stationed in the same area where the previous battle happened, they still have seen no signs of him. It's almost like he vanished into thin air. Once again, their trail has went from warm to cold. At this point, they prepare for Marik or his henchmen to make another surprise appearance at the palace, seeing as how they have no clue where his hideout is. Security is at an all time high at this point.

They walk past a room where servants are preparing fabric and decorations for the wedding that is supposed to be occurring soon and Seto's eyes scroll over to Atem. "So you're still going through with this?"

Atem returns his gaze as they continue to walk. "Not exactly."

"Go on..."

"I just haven't found a way to call things off yet."

"You say, 'the wedding is off.' It's really simple," Seto replies bluntly and Atem rolls his eyes.

"Not simple when you're trying to consider someone's feelings," Atem points out.

"Quite frankly, I wouldn't care." Atem dims his eyes. Typical response from his cousin. "But in a minute, you're going to end up without a woman at all."

"What?"

"I saw Mana sneaking out of your room last night. Seems like you two are back on good terms…for now." Seto says. He glances down at Atem who only stays silent, his gaze forward as if trying to hide the reaction on his face to Seto finding out about him and Mana's intimate night last night. "How does she feel about you toying with her emotions like this?"

"I would never toy with Mana's emotions," Atem says defensively, side eying him.

"The wedding preparations are still going and you're now back to fooling around with Mana. I'd say that's toying with someone's emotions and sending mixed signals. As goofy as that girl is, Mana is no fool. You're going to lose her if you keep going on like this. Need I remind you, _she_ left _you_ last time."

Atem's mouth goes slightly agape. "How did you even know about that?"

"Oh I don't know…maybe it's the fact that Kisara and Mana are best friends and literally tell each other everything."

As much as Atem doesn't want to admit it, Seto is right. He's going to have to break the news to Teana really soon. Admittedly, he has been avoiding it like the plague, but he cannot afford to wait any longer. The last thing he wants is to lose Mana for good. He closes his eyes, his lips going up into a smirk before he looks at Seto. "For someone who could care less, you sure are very invested in Mana and I's relationship."

"Trust me when I say, I don't care what happens between the two of you," Seto says dryly and Atem chuckles.

"If you say so."

"Come on Odion! You can do better than that!" they hear a familiar voice exclaim enthusiastically in the courtyard followed a by a boom.

Seto growls inwardly, already knowing who the source of that 'boom' is coming from. "With the magician training grounds destroyed once again, we're never going to get away from these crazy trainings," Seto complains, folding his arms.

As they get closer, they see Kisara, watching a sparring match between Mana and Odion. She sighs heavily and drops her head. "Kisara," Seto says as he and Atem stand beside her.

"Oh, hi Seto," she greets back followed by another boom. "Pharaoh."

Odion fires off multiple magical attacks with his wand to which Mana easily dodges them with a smile. She zigs zags from left to right, performing cartwheels, backflips and other various maneuvers to dodge his attacks.

Kisara looks to Atem apologetically. "She was so insistent on training, even after everything that happened. I tried to stop her…but you know Mana…"

Mana jumps down and shoots a counter attack with her wand and Odion quickly moves out of the way. But in doing so, it heads straight toward Seto who grits his teeth and quickly ducks out of the way. Mana gulps and slowly looks up at Seto's tall hat, that has partially been burned to a crisp.

"Um…I'm gonna go," Odion says and he quickly leaves, not wanting to face Seto's wrath.

Mana walks up to them, twiddling her fingers with a grin as Seto stares down at her, his eyes filled with rage. "Whoa Seto, you sure do have quick reflexes! I'm impressed!" Mana compliments, earning a growl from the angry priest. She quickly hides behind Kisara, peeking from behind her shoulder. "Gah, Kisara! Get your man!"

Kisara chuckles nervously. "Now Seto, it was an accident," she tells him, but she rubs the back of her head when she sees her attempts of calming him down isn't working.

"Maybe you should practice in less common areas," he scolds Mana between his clenched teeth.

"You and Kisara make out in less common areas, but you don't hear us say anything," Mana retorts, earning a glare from Kisara and Seto, causing her to scramble behind Atem who sighs.

"You and that mouth of yours…" Atem comments, looking at her from over his shoulder. "Why are you pushing yourself after such a rough battle with Marik?"

"I wanna be ready the next time he makes another attempt at attacking us!"

Atem frowns. "Mana…" Did nothing he say last night click with her? He already came so close to losing her last time. He can't risk possibly losing her again.

"You saw how strong he was! Why can't I train?" Mana asks.

"I can see this turning into an argument…Let's go Kisara," Seto says, excusing them both and leaving the magician girl and pharaoh alone.

"Told you he'd be mad!" Kisara calls out as she and Seto turn a corner.

"You just barely made it out alive, Mana. You used a great amount of strength back there. You need to rest."

"But I can't rest. What if you'll need me? With someone as powerful as Marik, you're gonna need all the help you can get!"

"What I need is for you to listen to me for a change," he replies and she turns her head away with her fists clenched at her sides.

"You really don't trust me…" He grabs one of her hands to her surprise and she slowly turns her head back.

"Mana, I know you're strong. There's no doubt about it," he tells her, giving her a hand a slight squeeze. "But if you truly want to fight by my side, then I need you in full health and that means you need to rest. Understand?"

Mana's shoulders temporarily droop over and her eyes lower to stare at the ground. That is until a thought pops into her head and she suddenly perks up. Atem dims his eyes, looking at her suspiciously. "What are you thinking..?" he asks, his voice filled with dread.

She moves closer to him and asks in a low tone, "By resting, does that mean I get to skip out on Mahad's lectures?"

Atem turns his head and looks away with his arms folded. "I'm not getting in between any arrangements that you and Mahad have for your studies." He feels himself being weighted down when she leans on his shoulders with her elbows. Reluctantly he looks back at her and instantly regrets it. Her lip is poked out and she pleads with her enormous eyes for him to reconsider his answer.

"Mana, that's not going to work." She begins to whimper and her bottom lip trembles even more. After a few moments of staring into her pleading eyes, Atem finally sighs heavily in defeat. "Fine. But only if you promise me to take a break."

Her sad expression instantly changes and she jumps up and down, clapping her hands enthusiastically with a huge grin on her face.

"There you are!" a voice belonging to Teana says and Mana quickly steps away from Atem, putting her hands behind her back and looking away awkwardly. "I've been looking all over for you!" Seeing Mana there, she decides to throw herself on Atem, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Teana," Atem says with surprise, keeping his hands at his side. "Is something wrong?"

She quickly glares over at Mana before pulling away. "What is she doing here?"

"Ah you know, just enjoying this fresh air and nice weather we got going," Mana says sarcastically, rolling her eyes with a smile until they land on Teana's angry ones.

"I thought we had an understanding," Teana says, gritting her teeth, referring to her threat to Mana to stay away from Atem.

"It's not an understanding if we both don't agree," Mana says back, mocking her by clenching her teeth as well with a grin.

"Mana." He turns to her, sensing tensions rising between the two. "Can you give Teana and I a minute, please?"

"Of course she will," Teana intervenes, stepping up to her. Atem attempts to grab Teana by the hand, but narrowly misses and now she is only inches away from Mana. "You're the pharaoh and she will do as she is told." Her bright blue eyes are locked onto Mana's, staring at the magician with the best intimidating glare she can muster. "You may leave now."

Mana can see herself pulling back her fist and landing it directly into Teana's face. A fight would ensue, and Atem and numerous guards would have to stop their fight. She'd claw at her face mercilessly as she cried and the guards would finally pry her loose, dragging her away as others tended to Teana's scars. Today would be the last time Teana would ever disrespect her or talk down to her. She is sick of it and it has gone on for far too long.

Snapping out of her trance, Mana's eyes slowly scroll over to Atem's, whose eyes are practically begging for Mana to leave without having one of her quick comebacks…or worse. He holds his breath, not knowing what Mana's next move will be. He can see the anger boiling inside of her. He looks down to her clenched fists that are slightly shaking at her sides and he fears for the worst. She is totally going to go for it, he thinks to himself. He knows her way too well. All of those years of built up anger would finally come out in one single punch. On one hand, he wouldn't blame her. Mana has dealt with Teana's verbal abuse since they were kids. But on the other hand, he prays that Mana will show some self control.

To his surprise, her balled up fists release and her body becomes more relaxed. She cracks a small smile and nods before turning away. "Very well."

Teana and Atem watch as she walks away and Teana grins, feeling victorious. She whips back around to Atem and puts on the brightest smile. "Now that she's gone, we can truly talk. I had some requests for the wedding and wanted to put it past you."

Atem sighs. "Teana…" He couldn't help but blame himself for even letting it go this far and putting Mana and Teana through this. It should have never come to this. But he was just trying to carry out his father's wishes. He and Teana were never a great fit to begin with. Even after all of the warning signs, her selfishness, rudeness and outright mean behavior, he still looked past it all until it finally became unbearable.

Mana is who he has always wanted this whole time. He never stopped loving her. And he feels awful for putting her in this predicament.

_"__I love you. But my heart can't take the back and forth…" _Mana told him that night.

No more. He will not let another day go by, putting Mana through this.

"So I was thinking that we should have all of these pillars draped in red fabric," Teana says, pointing to the tall pillars surrounding them. "And then I'll come out of the entrance over there and…"

"Teana, wait," Atem interrupts, holding his hand up for her to stop.

"Yes love? Did you have something to add?" she asks, clasping her hands together with a smile.

Atem inhales and lets out a long exhale. The time is now. "I can't go through with this."

Teana's eyes widen. "What do you mean? You don't like my suggestions? Because we can totally change—"

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"The wedding is off."

Silence. Complete silence. Followed by a gentle breeze. Atem's eyes stay fixated on Teana as she looks off into the distance in shock. Her facial expression slowly morphs from shock, to disbelief and finally rage as her cheeks begin to turn red and her lips tighten. Now her angry gaze is on him, but he manages to stay calm, though he wonders if this will play out how he and Mana reenacted it. Would she throw a vase?

"What do you mean the wedding is off?!"

"I'm sorry Teana. But I just don't think we're the right fit for each other."

"We're the perfect fit! What do you mean?! Are you so dumb that you can't see it?!"

"You don't possess the qualities of a queen Teana," he says bluntly, since she has thrown the first blow of insults. "You only care about yourself. I've seen the way you treat the servants here as well as Miho. You are selfish and rude."

"The wedding is still on!" she yells in denial. "This is what your father wanted! You're going to go against his wishes?"

"At the end of the day, this is my life and I choose to follow my heart."

"You're so pathetic. I know who you choose to give your heart to and she's nothing but an annoying, pathetic—"

"You will not speak of her in that manner, understand?!" Atem raises his voice, causing Teana to jump a little. He has never raised his voice at her, but he is starting to lose his patience and he will not allow her to speak badly about Mana. "You have been awful to Mana from day one. She is kind, caring and strong. She will put her own life on the line for others, even for those who despise her, like you."

"She is not queen material!"

"I disagree," Atem says turning his back to her.

'She will make a great queen,' he thinks to himself.

"I will need you out of palace by sunrise," he tells her.

"What?!"

"And my guards will escort you back home," he says. Even though he is not very fond of her, he is still concerned about her safety outside of the palace walls, especially with Marik still roaming around.

"I don't need your guards," she huffs and she turns around, storming away. "You're making a big mistake pharaoh…big mistake."

Atem sighs heavily and walks over to a nearby bench to sit down. Calling the wedding off definitely wasn't easy. He knows that his father wanted him to marry Teana. But that's not what he wants. Mana has always been his true love and he vows that he will do whatever he can to make things work between them the next time around.

"Pharaoh."

His head shoots up and looks to see the source of the voice. "Mahad." He sighs in relief as his friend sits beside him.

"Pardon my intrusion but…are you alright?" he asks with concern, having witnessed the argument between Atem and Teana.

"You saw all of that, huh…" Mahad only nods. "I'm fine. It was just…a tough decision…to follow my father's wishes or to follow my heart…"

"I think he would be proud," Mahad says to Atem's surprise. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Maybe you're right…"

There is a brief silence before Mahad chuckles lightly. "You and Mana…" Atem looks over at him. "Can't say that I'm surprised."

"Really?"

"We all grew up together. There always seemed to be something between the two of you ever since we were kids. And though you've tried to keep it a secret into adulthood, it was quite obvious that there was something there."

Atem's eyes widen. He didn't know that Mahad was aware of their relationship in the past. They both kept it a secret. But it seems Mahad, and his cousin Seto, were very much aware. Atem smirks. "Guess we didn't do a good job keeping it under wraps."

Mahad chuckles once again. "Not at all."

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

The end of another chapter. A few more chapter left until the conclusion. How are you liking it? Make my day and leave a review!


	14. Chapter 14

Mana happily takes a bite out of an apple as she sits in the pantry area in the kitchen. Her legs dangle as she and Kisara sit on the table. After coming in heated from bumping heads with Teana, Kisara tossed Mana her favorite fruit to calm down and it surprisingly worked.

"I'm proud of you Mana," Kisara says with a smile. "After all of the bad talk you've endured from Teana, you haven't resorted to physical violence."

"Yeah well, she's really pushing me to the edge. Not really sure how much more I can take." She takes another bite of her apple and gulps it down, sighing happily. "Ah, so good!"

"You really are satisfied by the simplest things."

"What could be better than this juicy apple? It's delicious!"

Kisara chuckles. "I can think of a few things."

"Mind tossing me one?" a small timid voice asks and they both look toward the door and see Miho. Typically she isn't seen much without Teana, so they are surprised she is there.

Mana smiles. "Sure! Come on in!" Her friendly and cheerful nature makes Miho feel welcomed and she joins them in the pantry. Mana uses her magic to levitate an apple from storage and it drops into Miho's hands who happily indulges in the tasty fruit.

"Mmm…it's so good," she comments, cracking a small smile.

"I know right?" Mana agrees before shooting a grin to Kisara who rolls her eyes.

"What brings you here, Miho?" Kisara asks. "Helping plan a wedding must be super tough, huh?"

"Well…" Miho hesitates, contemplating as to whether or not she should tell them the news. Kisara and Mana both edge up, sensing the hesitation.

"What's wrong?" Mana asks, tilting her head.

"I just got word a few moments ago that the wedding has been called off," Miho reveals.

"WHAT?" Mana and Kisara exclaim in shock and they both exchange looks.

"But why?" Kisara asks.

Miho shakes her head. "Not sure. Teana stormed in her room and said the pharaoh called it off…"

Mana's eyes widen. Atem really called off the wedding? Of course he has mentioned calling it off before, but the fact that he actually went through with it shocks her.

"…And apparently we have to be gone by sunrise," Miho finishes and she sighs.

"Wow, is all I can say," Kisara says, looking over to Mana to see if she can interpret her reaction. But currently her friend's expression is hard to read and pretty blank for such huge news.

"It's quite alright," Miho assures them before whispering, "To be honest, the pharaoh can do so much better than her," she reveals and they all giggle. "I think I'm more sad about leaving. You all treated us so well and with such hospitality, even someone like me. I typically don't get that treatment back at home, even as her advisor."

Mana frowns. "That's unfortunate. You're such a nice person, Miho. Maybe you can stay and Teana can leave," she mutters and they all giggle once more.

Miho chuckles lightly. "I honestly wouldn't mind that at all."

Their giggles turn into full blown laughter as they enjoy each other's company. But quick footsteps headed their way causes them all to stop, seeing Teana standing at the door. Her eyes briefly look over to Kisara and Mana and then to Miho who looks away, not wanting to give her any eye contact.

"What are you doing in here talking to these fools?" Teana snaps and Miho bows her head apologetically.

"I'm sorry Teana," she apologizes.

"I don't want you talking to them, understand?! Filthy snakes!"

Mana hops down from the table, her eyes narrowed. "Who are you calling snakes?"

"Mana don't do it," Kisara says, holding on to her arm, holding her back.

"Teana, please calm yourself," Miho says with a frown.

"Do not tell me what to do, you hear me?" Teana hisses, causing Miho to flinch and take a step back. "You may be my advisor, but you're beneath me. All of you are!"

"What is wrong with you?!" Mana yells, stepping up to her. "You just don't talk to anyone that way! It's wrong!"

"What's _wrong_ is you taking my future husband away from me! I told you to stay away from him!"

"You idiot, Atem was actually open to possibly marrying you! He wanted to carry out his father's wishes!" Mana reveals to Teana's shock. "But you're such an awful person who is incapable of caring for anyone but herself! You have no one but yourself to blame!"

"I've heard enough out of you, you…"

"What is going on here?" Seto asks, walking in along with Mahada and Atem after hearing all of the commotion.

"…WHORE!" Teana finally blurts out, shoving Mana back into the table.

Everyone except for Mana's eyes seem to pop out of their sockets and their jaws drop with horror after Teana shouts that word. Then everyone's eyes lands on Mana who is surprisingly calm, but internally, she is having a battle within herself. Does she react and unleash all of the built up anger inside of her? Or does she just walk away? Her eyes are locked onto Teana's and a stare off ensues.

Mahad steps forward a few steps and attempts to break the tension. "Now there is no need for any violence," he says.

"Let's take a deep breath," Kisara suggests with a nervous grin and she looks over to her friend. "Mana? Deep breath, okay?" So many thoughts swarm through Kisara's mind on the things that her friend is capable of doing. Teana surely doesn't know what she is about to unleash.

"Teana," Atem says and she turns to him. "I think it's best you leave. Right now."

Mana's lips slowly turn up into a smirk. "Yes that is best," she says and Teana whips back around to face her.

"What did you just say?"

"He is the pharaoh and you will do as you're told," Mana says, throwing Teana's previous words from earlier right back at her.

Kisara uses her hair to conceal the smile on her face and the laughter that threatens to come out and Seto looks away with a slight smirk on his lips.

Mahad rubs the back of his head as a pearl of sweat trickles down his temple. 'Ooh, she's good,' he says in his mind, regarding Mana's flawless way of always having a comeback. Even Atem's lips were tightened in an attempt to hide any reactions on his face.

Mana smiles. "You may leave now."

Teana clenches her fists and her face turns red with rage. How dare she say use her words against her? "WHY YOU—!" Mana simply walks past her without a care in the world, causing Teana to become even more furious than before. Kisara quickly brushes past and follows her friend, leaving the rest in the pantry. A wave of relief hits Atem and Mahad, knowing that could have turned out so much worse.

After Mahad, with the help of Miho, manages to lead Teana away, Atem leans on a nearby wall and holds his head as Seto approaches him. "You sure did make a mess of things," his cousin says, standing in front of him with his arms folded.

"Seto…" The last thing he needs is his cousin berating him.

"Things shouldn't have gotten to this point. You've had feelings for Mana this whole time. Why did you allow things to progress this far?"

"Seto, you know why I tried to go through with things. I was following my father's wishes. But now I know that I should have been following my heart this whole time," Atem says with his eyes lowered. "The moment Shimon revealed to me that arrangements had been made, I should have stopped him right there. I was foolish."

"Quite foolish indeed," Seto agrees and he shakes his head.

"Don't start with me Seto. Your situation isn't very ideal either."

"Because of certain rules in place," he says. "But regardless of that, I choose to live my life the way I see fit." He stands up and turns his back to his cousin. "Maybe instead of always going along with what's already put in place and trying so hard to be exactly like your father, you should focus on making your own impact." He looks at Atem over his shoulder. "You _are_ the pharaoh now."

And with that he walks away, leaving Atem alone with his thoughts.

Maybe Seto is right, he thinks to himself. All this time he has been focusing on trying to be exactly like his father, always sticking to certain traditions and such. But he is the king now. His royal court and the people of Egypt have entrusted him to lead and have everyone's best interest. Not that he would stray away from every single thing put in place from kings that ruled before him, but changing things up and coming up with his own traditions sometimes wouldn't be a bad thing.

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Mana and Kisara laugh as they sit crossed legged on the floor in Mana's bedroom. It took all of Kisara not to burst out laughing when Mana said her sly remark. Her friend sure could be quick on her feet. "The look on Teana's face was priceless," Kisara giggles. "I thought for sure you were going to beat her to a pulp. Though it would have been totally justified in my opinion."

"Sometimes you gotta play people at their own game," Mana shrugs with a smile. "I'm just glad she'll finally be leaving. She's put such a damper in this place."

"Yeah, you said it."

Mana exhales heavily. "I honestly don't understand why she hates me so much."

"Maybe it's jealousy?"

"There's no way someone like her could be jealous of me. Personality aside, she's beautiful and she's royalty."

"But that's the thing. Her personality is her downfall. You can be the most beautiful person in the world, but if you have such an awful personality, I feel that it negates all of that beauty."

"I guess you're right." She takes a big bite out of an apple that she stashed. "But that doesn't explain why she's hated me since we were kids."

"Well from what you've told me, you and the pharaoh have always had this strong bond. Maybe she sensed the closeness between the two of you and it bothered her," Kisara guesses before smiling, causing Mana to tilt her head as she chews on her apple.

"What?" she asks, her voice a bit muffled.

"How does it feel to be the future Queen of Egypt?"

Mana gulps down her apple and coughs, nearly choking from that blunt question. "Excuse me?"

"Come on Mana. You know it's coming. He loves you," she says, nudging her arm with an enthusiastic smile.

Mana blinks a few times. She actually hasn't thought about that at all. Her? A queen? Would she even be considered queen material? And what about her dreams and aspirations of being a powerful magician? Would that all be put on hold permanently?

There is a knock on the door. "Come in!" Mana calls out and the door opens revealing Atem.

He pauses. "Am I interrupting your conversation?"

"We were just talking about how Mana would be—" Kisara yelps as Mana puts her into a headlock. A drop of sweat goes down Atem's forehead as he watches a small struggle ensue between the two friends.

"If you say it, I'll turn you into a toad," Mana says with dimmed eyes.

"Not if I blast you first," she replies with a innocent smile and Mana lets go. "I'll leave you two alone."

"See ya Kisara," Mana says.

"Bye Queen!" Kisara says back with a giggle and Mana dims her eyes.

"Hey! What did I just say?" Mana exclaims, clenching her fists and Atem raises an eyebrow at their interaction.

"Sorry Queen!" Kisara says, quickly scurrying away before Mana can get the last word.

Mana grunts, folding her arms with a pout. "I'm going to get her the next time I see her and Seto together," she vows in a low voice.

"Queen?" Atem repeats, registering what was just said and Mana jumps slightly, her heart doing flips.

"Ah you know how silly Kisara can be!" Mana exclaims, flinging her hand and laughing.

"I see."

She rubs the back of her head. "So…how are you feeling?" Obviously Atem calling off the wedding didn't go so smoothly. "Did she throw a vase?"

Atem chuckles and shakes his head. "No, I'm afraid that was just your over exaggeration."

"Well at least you would have been prepared had she thrown one."

"She did throw a lot of insults."

Mana rolls her eyes. "Of course she did." She wouldn't expect any less from someone like Teana. "Do you think you've made the right decision?"

"Yes. I know that it was my father's wish, but ultimately it's my decision and I couldn't picture myself being with her for the rest of my life. I'm happy with my decision."

"Good. I'm glad to hear," she replies before frowning.

"What?"

She knows what he is there for. He's here to scold her for always having a smart mouth. But it's not like she didn't deserve it, right? Teana was always the instigator in those situations. But she had finally had enough and retaliated for a change. Mana drops her head and sighs. "Look, I know what I did was wrong and all, but Teana—"

"Mana you don't have to—"

"She's always picking on me. It's always been like that. I told you and Mahad it wouldn't be a great idea. I told you she hated me. But I still tried to rise up to the challenge and she just kept pushing me and I still feel like I failed and—" She stops when she feels his finger on her lips.

"You don't need to apologize. If anything, I'm sorry for putting you through that."

"Well it _was_ Mahad's idea," Mana points out with a shrug and he shakes his head.

"No. Had I called off the wedding in the first place, none of this would have happened." He takes her hands into his, staring deeply into her eyes. "I should have been living my life the way I wanted. I should have been following my heart."

"Atem…"

"And my heart is telling me that I should be with you, Mana." He takes a deep breath before continuing. He isn't sure how she is going to react to his next sentence, but he is tired of beating around the bush. It's time to be straight forward and honest. "I want you to be by my side, ruling as the Queen of Egypt."

Mana's mouth drops and her eyes go wide. She doesn't know what to say. Many thoughts swirl through her head and she feels like she is in a dream. Taking her silence as her not wanting to do it, Atem slowly lets go of her hands and turns his head away. "I'm sorry. I just thought…I didn't mean—"

"No, it's fine," Mana assures him, snapping out of her own trance. He turns his head back to her. "I want to be with you. I do. I'm just…shocked is all. I never viewed myself as queen material you know? And all my life I have been working toward this one goal…to become a powerful sorcerer and to help protect Egypt. I guess maybe…I'll never meet that goal…"

Atem raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that? Of course you can reach that goal, Mana."

"But if I'm queen, wouldn't that mean that I can't be a sorcerer anymore?"

Atem smiles. Is that the only thing holding her back? Because she thinks she won't be able to practice her magic once she is queen? "Mana, I know how much that means to you and I would never take that away from you."

Mana sighs and lowers her eyes. "So I guess that means you'll have to find someone else to be your queen then, huh?"

"Wrong."

She gasps lightly and looks up at him. "Huh?"

"Who says that you can't be my queen and a powerful sorcerer?" he says with a smirk.

"B-But…But what about—?"

"I know there haven't been queens in the past that have taken on dual roles like this. But I am the king of Egypt Mana," he reminds her. "And my future wife can be a queen and a powerful sorcerer as well." She blushes, looking away and rubbing the back of her head. But soon, she feels her face being cupped by his hand and being brought back to look at him.

"Atem…I don't know what to say…"

"Say that you will marry me."

Mana places her hand over his hand that is cupping her cheek and she smiles, trying her hardest to keep the tears from falling. She quickly blinks them away and inhales deeply. "Yes," she says, exhaling. "Yes, I will!" She throws himself into his arms in a tight embrace and he wraps his arms around her waist. Hearing those words come from her has made him the happiest man alive. He smiles at the thought of them being together as husband and wife, king and queen as well as sorceress. They pull away, only to capture each other's lips in a passionate kiss.

Nothing else at this very moment matters and he wishes that they can stay in each other's embrace all day. But in the back of his mind, he knows a threat still lingers and Marik needs to be defeated once and for all.

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Sorry it took me sooooo long to update, but hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review!


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